MovieChat Forums > 71 Fragmente einer Chronologie des Zufalls (1995) Discussion > Excellent film years ahead of its time.....

Excellent film years ahead of its time...CONTAINS SPOILERS...

posted 16 years ago by spacemouse
7 replies | jump to latest

The film reminded me a little of Amores Perros, or a perhaps even a more subtle version of Crash.

Anyway, I just wondered if anyone has any other interpretations here.
Firstly, the young boy who is adopted seems to enter the bank with his adoptive mother. Quite literally a few minutes later, the scene is replayed, only she asks him to remain in the car! Now are these are two separate times (the snow is settled on both occasions), or is Haneke manipulating the audience as he did in Funny Games?
***Spoiler***
Secondly, why did the student snap at the end and kill the three people (I personally think it was the adoptive mother, the bank teller's father and the security guard that died). I have only just finished my first viewing, so my interpretations may be a little out (need to watch it again on another day). That said, I think Haneke is again commenting on a series of factors that only when combined, may cause the end result. For example, the somewhat bleak outlook of the early 90's, the media and in particular it's 24 hour coverage of negative world events, and of course, the gun (can‘t help thinking that this film would have been better set in the US)! I don't think that acquiring the gun alone, would have resulted in the student snapping (Haneke provides us with several close ups of the security man's gun - a security guard who is also under pressure and quite highly strung out). Perhaps it could just have easily been him that had snapped. That said, the student appeared to show signs of anxiety (perhaps even a death wish) very early on (remember when he looks out of the window of his study hall, and then assesses the drop from the pavement outside (as if wondering whether the fall would be sufficient enough?).
Perhaps I have over analysed, but I think that the combined factors (media, gun, high anxiety) all lead to the student's inevitable actions.
I rate this film as my second favourite Haneke film (my favourite being Funny Games).
Would like to hear what others think.
Great film, 7.5 out of 10.
Fm.

[–] spacemouse 16 years ago

Actually one other thing, am I losing my memory or did the student have blonde hair? The film poster seems to show a character with dark hair loading a gun (I am a little confused here - but like I said, it was the first viewing my annoying neighbour insists on using the world's loudest lawn mower every Sunday afternoon!).
Poster>>>>
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2946732544/tt0109020
Fm

[–] rogersampson 16 years ago

Yes the student had blonde hair. There is a character with dark hair loading a gun and I'm not sure who that is unless it is one of the people playing pick up sticks - which possibly explains where the student got the gun from (I don't think it's the guy who stole the gun at the start of the film). It's confusing, I just saw the film recently for the first time and I'll have to watch it again.

[–] sipgoblin 15 years ago

I just watched an interview with Haneke on the DVD for this movie and can answer your second question.
Simply put, we don't know why the student snapped.
Like the fragmentary nature of the film, we experience life as fragmentary. We never see the totality of events, just situations. We can try to explain them, but we could be completely mistaken. So as things happen in real life that we simply never understand, so too we shall never understand why he snapped.

'Sure we're speaking Jebediah, you're fired'

[–] twelvepointnine 14 years ago

Very well put sipgoblin.

The student tells his mother on the phone that his course in old German is interesting, even it it appears as a foreign language by times. If there would be one explanation, it could be the student was feeling completely alienated from the world. Just like the refugee boy, the old man (from his family), the little girl who is send to a foster family (who don't feel sorry for her but are creeped out) and the courier with his wife. The scene where she scolds him for saying "I love you" is utterly brilliant!

Chaos reigns

[–] joey5001 13 years ago

How about the first question? I am quite curious about this too.

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] mulhollandpsycho 13 years ago

I'm sure she took the boy back outside after the scene in the bank and told him to stay in the car. She had business to attend to in the bank, and didn't want to expose the boy to another possible altercation.

The student snapped because the guy up front in line assaulted him in the building. That's all it takes.

Got to love Haneke. After every movie, I'm left saying aloud, "What the f!ck just happened?" We're never going to know which 3 people died. That's part of the Haneke plan. He says, "I'm not gonna tell you sh!t. Here's some stuff. You figure it out. I'm moving on with my life"

I've seen all his films now except the German "Funny Games". Right now I'm in the middle of "Code Unknown", taking a short break. I might later try out some of his tv movies.