'Cache' gets nod for Best Film of 2005

According to me, that is.

Seven months into 2006, I can finally complete my Top 10 Films of 2005 list. After watching Michael Haneke's 'Cache' twice in less than 24 hours, this French thriller goes to the top of the list...nudging down 'The Squid & the Whale' and Woody Allen's 'Match Point' to #2 & #3, respectively (see complete list below).

Now bear in mind, while I call this my "Top 10," I am by no means a film critic...nor do I pretend to be. So this "Top 10" should read more like a "My Personal 10 Favorite Films of '05" List. I know very little of what makes a "good" film. I'm sure some critics may find a few of these films to be "flawed" (that's a nice little critic term for "this is what sucks about this film"). I simply know what I enjoy.

I can't be that far off base with my assessment, however. Seeing that Cache won 14 awards at various film fests, including a Best Director for Michael Haneke at Cannes, it appears that this film is well admired.

Daniel Auteuil (Georges) & Juliette Binoche (Anne) play an educated, well-to-do couple (Georges is a TV show host), who raise their teenage son Pierrot in a somewhat ordinary apartment in an urban French neighborhood. A video tape arrives one day at their door. Much to their confusion, it's a surveillance tape of their home. Who and why, there is no idea. Slowly, Haneke builds the tension and more tapes arrive, as well as some crazy-ass child like drawings. As the suspense builds, more and more of Georges past is brought up. The police can't seem to help, because no real crime has been committed. Albeit, the terror of knowing someone is stalking them forces Georges to investigate matters on his own.

I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll stop. There is a SPOILER at the end of this (as noted in BIG RED letters), so PLEASE do not read the SPOILER ALERT if you plan on watching this. And if you know what's best for you...you will.

Both Auteuil & Binoche are terrific. Haneke's style seems almost too simplistic, but comes off as pure genious. There are no hokie, artsy-fartsy, camera moves. There's no corny score to set the mood of the scenes. As a matter of fact, I don't recall one ounce of music in the entire film. But at the same time, Haneke's script & direction draw you in to Georges & Anne's world of budding tension.


***** SPOILER ALERT****SPOILER ALERT*****SPOILER ALERT*****

Please only read if you've seen the ending. I wil purposely hide any comments reagrding the ending, but I'm just curious as to others' thoughts on the conclusion. I suspect that the majority of people will be on the outraged side with Jess on this one. Because there's no real closure to the film. You never find out "who dun it?"

I say, on the contrary, a big enthusiastic BRAVO to the conclusion. As a matter of fact, I think a finale in which the culprit is identified would take a way from the whole point of the film. While it is a thriller, filled with suspense from beginning to end, it's not a "good guy finds the bad guy" type of movie. It's not about "who dun it."

This film is about the nature of guilt. It's a psychological thriller surrounding Georges' history, rather than a story of revenge & mystery.

I've heard varying opinions on what people saw in the last long continuous shot in front of Pierrot's school. There is no instant gratification at the end, and that's the way Haneke wants it. It's not a film that could be made in Hollywood, because the typical American viewer wants its movie to fit a certain format:

Good guy meets bad guy. Motive. Crime. Crime solved. Viewer goes home happy.

This isn't one of those films. It may leave you confused. It may leave you feeling uncomfortable. I dunno. I'm nowhere near an expert. Just my take. I loved it.

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Gary's Top 10 (or 10 Most Enjoyable if that sounds better) Films of 2005 List:

1. Cache (Haneke)
2. The Squid and the Whale (Baumbach)
3. Match Point (Allen)
4. Capote (Miller)
5. Junebug (Morrison)
6. Me & You & Everyone We Know (July)
7. Good Night & Good Luck (Clooney)
8. Last Days (Van Sant)
9. Brokeback Mountain (Lee)
10. Keane (Kerrigan)

Honorable Mention (read: got bumped as the year progressed):

A History of Violence, Mysterious Skin, Hustle & Flow, Munich

Not even close, bud:

Crash, Syriana, The Constant Gardner, Sin City, Walk the Line, The New World

Most disappointing:

Palindromes, Broken Flowers

Best performance nobody saw:

Damian Lewis - Keane

Best foreign which didn't make the original Top 10 list:

2046

I Really Thought This Would Suck, But Surprisingly Liked It Award:

Cinderella Man

Best, I mean Favorite Doc:

Murderball