Caché (Hidden) directed by Michael Haneke (France, 2005)
On 17th October 1961, the French National Police, following orders from the head of the Parisian police force, Maurice Papon, attacked a peaceful demonstration of around 30,000 pro-National Liberation Front (FLN) Algerians.
The events surrounding the massacre and its death toll of anywhere between 40 and 200 Algerians were long denied by the state and were not exposed by the media at the time. The true extent of the massacre only became public around 40 years later.
I didn’t know the details of this shameful cover-up but the ‘truth’ of this recent history helps to understand some of the complexities of Michael Haneke’s subtle and brilliantly acted psychological thriller, Caché (Hidden). Continue reading
