mundane apocalypse
Added 1/18/2010
This is not a grand disaster film, but one that will force the viewer to wonder how (s)he would act if everything broke down. Nothing is explained, nothing is tied off, nothing resolved. Instead, the film focuses on seemingly mundane details with a chilling realism, moving from character to character without conclusion. Still, there are characters that one can follow through the film, with whom the viewer identifies and hopes, to a degree. They are all flawed, hence frighteningly human, seeking water, sex, security, power. The realism and pessimism are palpable and believable.
This is another of those art house films that you will want to see only once. It is agonizing and cannot be re-viewed. No redemption, no progress, just the naked horror of those trying to cope and survive an unnamed disaster, perhaps a breakdown, perhaps the end of the world, with burning masses of infected cattle and the end of all order, personal and in community.
REcommended, as a season in hell.
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The Apocalypse without science fiction!
Added 10/14/2009
Ana and her family come to her country home in what it would seem a peaceful weekend, just to face the bitter and awful reality. The place has been besieged for another family. They demand for supplies, food and water. They run away in pursuit of shelter. But once they arrive they will realize the crude and sinister state of things where to survive is the rule.
The title of "Time of wolves" makes reference to a brief passage of "Codex regius" an Icelandic poem dated from the XII Century in whose context refers to the preceding age of the end of world, a previous reference that Ingmar Bergman used in "The hour of the wolf" in 1967.
Michael Haneke's camera handle is always distant, like if the eye-camera was a scared witness of this frightening script. The social struggling between the families, the drama of the mother whose son is seriously ill, the hopeless of the children and the desperation of the mature people conform a weird and bitter experience about what it means to live in such deplorable conditions.
For many people, this film may be weird because of the fact the tension is inner. There are not special effects and even more devastating sequences. In many aspects this project reminded me to Tarkovsky's Sacrifice: disturbing and horrid movie. Watch for the last take from the train in movement. Dark poetry in its highest level.
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Uninvolving end of the world flick
Added 2/15/2009
Isabelle Huppert is a French mother whose family has fled the city following an unnamed apocalypse. The family arrives at their country home and discovers that another family has commandeered it. They seek shelter and eventually came across a teen boy who leads them to a train station. They join a group of others waiting for the next train, which they hope will take them to safety or provide them with supplies. As they wait, they grow more hopeless.
"Time of the Wolf" is a bleak movie, made in a minimalist style by French director Michael Haneke (Cache, Funny Games). The family's experiences are horrendous. Unfortunately, the main characters are so mute and distant that it greatly diminishes the impact of their suffering. The only affecting part to me was the budding relationship between the daughter and the wild teen boy. The boy is pessimistic and stubborn, and the daughter struggles to understand him. However, this subplot isn't enough to sustain the movie. The ambiguous ending is typical of Haneke and is likely to delight fans of his work and frustrate others. The movie was too boring and aloof for me to care much at that point.
3 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Good Movie
Added 1/16/2008
This was a good movie because it was well written and well acted. The main character was a child but it was a child who has a good future in the feild of acting. The movie was easy to follow and it made sense in short worth the money spent.
1 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Minimalist Drivel
Added 6/15/2007
I have never seen such pretentious drivel in all my life! I would sooner go to the dentist than sit through this depressing piece of garbage again.
Stark? You betcha!
Boring? Double you betcha!
I like art movies - great fan of Kurasawa and Bergman - but this is like the paintings of rotting meat I have seen. Totally unnecessary and designed to shock not entertain. Movies are entertainment that often are able to make social statements not social statements that entertain. That is what real life is for.
A redundant waste of 2 hours.
3 out of 13 people found this helpful.
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