Happy End

If Michael Haneke should die before he wakes, I pray the Lord his soul to take, along with this half-baked sequel to his magnificent Amour (2012).

From its ingenious start to the nifty end, Haneke brings the viewers a full circle to this significant truth.

The film remains interesting, if not particularly eye-opening, until it reveals how the characters are related. Then it becomes the sort of sardonic chronicle of upper-middle-class discontentment that Claude Chabrol did better with less portentousness.

Beautifully photographed, well composed, but disappointingly superficial.

Haneke modus operandi is to withhold information from the audience for as long as possible, forcing us to do our own investigative work. His admirers will no doubt rise to the challenge and should be amply rewarded.

Formally Happy End is a crafty piece of work, but as a social critic Haneke is less convincing than ever.

Happy End is not a pleasant experience, but it's a rich one upon close examination.

All the performances are top notch but Trintignant and Harduin keep things interesting in a story that feels unfocused.

If you can handle watching a family continuing to come together just so they can keep falling apart, step right up.

For true Haneke devotees it'll be a film that'll challenge and provoke, taunt and tease, stimulate and captivate you.