MovieChat Forums > Después de Lucía (2012) Discussion > Haneke, anyone?

Haneke, anyone?

posted 11 years ago by Dwick88
17 replies | jump to latest

Let me start by saying that Despues de Lucía is one of the most well done mexican films i have ever seen, the camera work was just outstanding and the actors, Tessa Ia and Hernán Mendoza did an amazing, terribly realistic and heart-wrenching job.

The reason for this topic is that while watching the movie i just couldn't stop thinking of how Michel Franco's work looked a lot like a Michael Haneke homage. The use of ellipsis, steady cam, long shots, loose ends (at the end when we never find out who send the sex tape of alejandra and the other kid, that remind me A LOT of Caché, another movie from haneke) and with the last scene it's impossible not to remember the last scene of Funny Games if you've seen it before.

I'm not saying Franco's work is a copy of Haneke's, i think it's really good that he's following his style (Haneke's) in order to tell different stories, i am really looking forward to watch more of Franco's work and i would really like if someone asked him about Haneke and his influence on his work on an interview, it would be very interesting to know his point of view about him.

[–] george_aslf 11 years ago

I saw this film today and yes, it did have a Haneke (and to certain extent - Lars von Trier) feel, overall. A good observation made by you.

[–] javo-olvera 11 years ago

meh... I don't think so. May be as a non mexican audience, you could consider this a good movie. But as a mexican, I don't share that opinion (and as far as i know some other guys don't either). Dialogs and situations resulted unrealistic, boring, forced, an so on. There are some fails in the script like the very end exactly at the climax, large scenes telling nothing, not expressive performances, etc.

The story is interesting but not well executed in many levels.

[–] george_aslf 11 years ago

Who said that this was a good film? I didn't. The only good stuff I've seen from Mexico are Inaritu films. Can you suggest anything else that's definitely not to be missed?

[–] IsraelGR 11 years ago

Um, Guillermo del Toro? Haven't you seen Pan's Labyrinth?

Alfonso Cuarón did Y Tu Mama Tambien, which is of course fantastic.

[–] decadent_sympozium 10 years ago

Rofl what are you talking about, unrealistic situations? Unreal? In what reality do you live if this is unreal? This *beep* gets me straight to elementary and high school. Not expressive performances? How about realistic performances of ordinary people doing ordinary people?

For *beep*'s sake.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] tob_error412 11 years ago

Did you see Afterschool by Campos? Really reminded me of that movie, also in subject matter (failure of adults to deal with problematic kids). Inaritu is certainly not the only good Mexican director (in fact, he's somewhat of a joke to me) as one user presumes, there a many directors who are way better: Reygadas and Escalante come to mind.. may be others but I can't think of them right now.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 9 years ago

Haneke would never have ended the film in the way the director did. The ending allows for the audience to release their anger and vengefulness towards Jose, Manuel, Javier, Irene and Camilla. Haneke would not have allowed for such a direct release. Also, I doubt Haneke would have concentrated negative feelings towards that group of teenagers in the same way. So, no, this does not remind me of Haneke.

I give my respect to those who have earned it; to everyone else, I'm civil.

[–] uglygelly 9 years ago

It was still not a happy ending though, we never find out what happens to Alejandra or if the father gets any contact from her.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 9 years ago

I'm not suggesting the ending is happy. I'm suggesting it allows some catharsis for the audience and it presents the wrong doers as bad. Neither of these are hallmarks of Haneke, pretty far from it.

A bird sings and the mountain's silence deepens.

[–] svenrufus 9 years ago

No, I don't think it was cathartic at all. It was horrific, with the ambiguity left behind it - did he just do that to an innocent party, no 'comeuppance' for the rapist/s, Alejandra's future left in immediate doubt, and even in the most hopeful scenario there, the prospect of losing her remaining parent imminently... I'm not getting much catharsis from that!

I think the comparison to Funny Games is off beam - I've only seen the US version (for shame!). Similarities are superficial, if not non-existant. If we're considering Haneke, Cache is the one its closest to, and yes, for me there were layers of stylistic similarities here. I actually didn't like Cache so much - the detachment from the players here was much more engaging, if that's not a too absurdly contradictory thing to say. I think plot/set piece similarities are again superficial, but I can't deny I was thinking of Haneke all the way through, in the way I was made to feel like I was intruding into these peoples lives. Whether it was intentional or not, Haneke was here.

[–] TermlnatriX 9 years ago

I'm sorry, did you not watch Funny Games? After Lucia has the exact same ending.

:: filmschoolthrucommentaries ::

[–] PoppyTransfusion 9 years ago

I've seen the original Funny Games and have been given to understand the plot is the same in both films, though the tone may vary. It is nothing like After Lucia. Pray tell how the endings are exactly the same?

A bird sings and the mountain's silence deepens.

[–] TermlnatriX 9 years ago

No, the plot is NOT the same. But the endings are virtually identical in their presentation. But I actually misread your original post concerning catharsis. You're right about there being no catharsis in Haneke as opposed to Lucia. Lucia has catharsis (aka the comeuppance the audience was waiting for) and Funny Games doesn't.

:: filmschoolthrucommentaries ::

[–] PoppyTransfusion 9 years ago

OK. I think you misunderstand me again, I meant the plot of Funny Games (1997) and Funny Games USA. I've been given to understand that Haneke's latter remake of his original retains the same plot. I am NOT suggesting either Funny Games has the same plot as After Lucia. Aside from being in boats where a person gets thrown overboard there are no other similarities in the presentation of final scenes in Funny Games 1997 and After Lucia.

A bird sings and the mountain's silence deepens.

[–] TermlnatriX 9 years ago

I think we've misunderstood each other. It's clear now.

:: filmschoolthrucommentaries ::

[–] dannyvallejo 9 years ago

There is a big difference between being inspired by another artist and ripping off ideas, cleary the director likes Haneke and copied everything he could from his works:
- Practically Copying scenes (the crowd of students in the school - Cache, The sea and surge - The seventh continent, Dialogues in the car, A video anonymously sent - Cache)
- Focusing on the life of wealthy teenagers and their lack of values (benny´s video, Funny Games, The White ribbon)
- Some important events that happened before and you can clearly feel them by the way the actors act or suffer but you have no a clear idea of what really happened - (White Ribbon, Seventh Continent, Time of Wolf etc) In this case Haneke can make it work, but here the director had to tell you at the half of the movie what happened
- Even the director had to steal the final of Funny Games...

For a cinephile and haneke lover like me, this film is just a cheap and copied idea...

(otra pelicula Mexicana contemporanea "ganadora de premios" que me sabe a lo mismo")