A family gathering should be cause for celebration, but the Laurents aren’t any ordinary family, as Michael Haneke’s caustic drama reveals.
For a director known for his unsettling portraits of contemporary society (Hidden, Funny Games, Amour_), Michael Haneke’s domestic drama signals a change in direction. But as we delve deeper into the frictions between parents, siblings and in-laws, and the decisions made in the family company, it becomes clear that Haneke’s mission is to seek out the rot at the heart of middle-class family life. And with a cast that includes Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Matthieu Kassovitz and Toby Jones, it’s a beautifully performed satire that suggests that love might be all, and blood might be thicker than water, but self-interest trumps the lot.
