Benny's Video

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Mason M I'm always surprised by how Michael Haneke can put such violent content in his films, but barely show it and actually be against putting it in films. Benny's Video left me absolutely shocked and quite disturbed. It's not a film that you're supposed to enjoy, it's cold, most of the shots are from a strange and uncomfortable angle, it's violent, and disturbing. But that's the point, I'm not supposed to enjoy it at all, and I definitely didn't. But it's still a very well-made film, all the shots are quite long and from unusual angles, Arno Frisch does an amazing job as maybe one of the most evil people I've ever seen put to film, and it successfully makes its point about violence in film. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/16/24 Full Review Diana S Had never heard of this film before. I was around the same age as Benny when it was released. I can see how it would have been divisive then as well as now, but it seems rather relevant to the place in history we currently inhabit. It did not go in the direction I expected and was not at all predictable. I appreciated the director's stubborn resistance to glamorizing gore (which is thematically important) and that Benny is mostly a catalyst for revealing the ugliness of those we expect to have higher standards for themselves and for what they put into the world but coldly do not. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/04/24 Full Review Dave S Those who aren't already fans of Austrian auteur Michael Haneke won't likely be swayed by Benny's Video, an early effort from the divisive director. Arno Frisch plays Benny, a troubled teen obsessed by mass media, who manifests his violent fantasies by killing a girl he meets outside a video store. Benny's cold and calculating manner is mirrored by Haneke's style throughout the film as he relies on a muted color palette, minimal dialogue, and lengthy static shots to create a chilling and foreboding atmosphere. While it can be more than a little uncomfortable to watch at times, it provides valid insight into how media may desensitize and influence those who consume it. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/12/23 Full Review Zeynep B Haneke accomplishes to shake his audience by putting a mirror to them. The movie starts with an ideal family portait of a middle class family, with a father being the symbol of authority, rule and superego. The father, putting rules for the daughter about not to have parties without notice, or else without him being involved to "order sandwiches", or giving lessons to his son about how to improve his character by some ways other than cutting his hair... However, the limit of this ethical stand of this ideal middle class family comes to an end very quickly when it comes to the selfish interests. When the father realises that his son in fact killed some girl, he appears to be concerned about the possible accusations coming from a "parental neglect" aspect, rather than considering the fact a crime, also one of the biggest sins, has been commited. He then, becomes even more cruel than his son, and minces the body of this little girl in order to save their family future. The hyprocrisy of the ethical stands, the false morality of the society, and how ready we can get to reshape our reality and our stand when it comes to our selfish interests... That being said, nothing too striking, therefore 6,8/10 Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/12/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a depiction of pure evil. Benny really has no reasons for what he's doing. He is just the way he is. Really liked how the reality and the depiction of the reality are all mixed up and how powerful Benny is in creating that depiction. He even made his parents part of it. They stopped living in the reality and started living in the depiction of it as benny envisioned it. The act of killing itself is not important here. Benny has his own reality to create. He's like god. And he succeed. My second favorite Haneke movie after Funny Games. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member A cool examination of the causes and consequences of one sudden and brutal act of violence by a young adolescent. As with all Haneke's work there are no glib answers or indeed resolutions. Alienation and the detachment of seeing all life at one remove via video implicates us all and makes for several layers of uncomfortable viewing. It's a slow film, but characteristically engrossing and intelligent, and an early signal of a very great talent. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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