El video de Benny

Benny's Video is a slow methodical drama circling around the psyche of character decisions made through the movie. It has a strong start, and one that puts you into it right away with some disturbing footage. But then after 30 minutes or so it becomes a uneventful, both in events and character. Leading to a very slow end.

Directing is static, impactful and methodical. It's not afraid to sway from the norm, long takes that last forever. Enabling the viewer to be sucked in in certain moments. That is when it works, but there's also long lasting scenes on simply a TV. Now the I get it, the violence shown in the news and movie is supposed to be interesting and the 'story'' behind the actions. But it's dull and repeated too often. That said the directing in general managed to mostly keep me engaged and curious.

Sadly that curiosity is not rewarded. As a story it fits the notion of ''art house'' film, without a proper message to end with. But with a message as a whole. Perhaps back then it was more relevant, surely. But it makes for a weaker film now.

Acting is a standout, great work from all involved. Music, non existent. Sound design, maybe I'm weird but the eating and subtle sounds made this movie more uncomfortable than the disturbing stuff. Or maybe it was a mix of both. Just odd.

Decent but not as effective as I'd hoped.

I found this movie to be very disturbing, though it is not a violent movie. Benny is a normal teenager, except for his rather horrid taste for gore and death. This is a very thought provoking movie stumbling through a couple of different immoral issues, the end of this movie was a bit different to what I was expecting and did sort of knock me off place. I give it an 8 out of 10.

"Benny's Video" focuses on a maladjusted teenager who is obsessed with technology, particularly video recording and television. He is largely ignored by his upper-class parents who feed his obsession by arming him with the latest and greatest technology, until mom and dad are forced to confront a shocking act of violence he commits.

For anyone who knows Michael Haneke's filmography even on a tertiary level, they will be aware of his bleak depictions of society and frank, unembellished representations of human depravity. This earlier work from the director has his trademarks all over it, and is bolstered by strong performances from Arno Frisch as the disturbed Benny, with Angela Winkler and Ulrich Mühe giving disturbing and calculated performances as his emotionally detached parents.

While the film gets off to a rather startling beginning, some will find the midsection and conclusion to be a bit slow; although they may be correct in pointing out slight pacing issues, the latter part of the film allows the character dynamics between parent and child (and parent and parent) to be expanded upon, and what is perhaps most shocking about it is that the audience grows to develop some sympathy for Benny despite his sociopathy; his parents, less so. There is also a notable contemplation of technology and its function in society that underpins the screenplay.

All in all, "Benny's Video" is an effective, disturbing film that speaks more to the brokenness of the family unit than it does of the malignant outcomes that may arise from it. Certainly not for the lighthearted, but it offers a drab and uncompromising window into the dark. 8/10.

It's all about shock value. Haneke's intro for this one is to desensitize you for the rest. What happened with the teenagers is nothing compared to what we see first because the first one is real (and we know it's real), what happened with the teenagers is fake and off-camera.

The discussion happens from this point. Why aren't we more shocked? Why is Benny so insensitive to what he did? It's because of his hobby. He doesn't see it as real, it's all from his camera point of view, like everything he saw before. It's just digital or analog information put on screen. He sees himself as a viewer and a camera at the same time. He is dehumanized, he is a machine, that gun was part of him as well. And like all Haneke, it's shocking.

In his second film of the "glaciation trilogy", Haneke once more hauntingly draws a torpid affluent society where the people live at cross purposes, where conservations are rare and toilsome, where communication is alienated to a technical process. Accordingly to that, the emotional life of the protagonists became stunted: Benny, after his "act", shows concernment only through surrogate actions, just like letting his hair cropped. The father immediately slyly pushes to damage mitigation, whereas only the mother indicates rudiments of emotion, though somehow tense. In a confusing blend of film and video images, Haneke creates a second level of reality, so to speak, where Benny's senseless "act" perfectly integrates in the horror pictures of the evening news and makes it open for question. At the same time, Haneke commits himself to no specific answer and denies any absolution. That is what makes this film so horrifying - there simply is no telling argument that makes a murderer out of a young boy.