Over the last few days I've been thinking a lot about Benny's video. At first I wasn't sure what to think of it, did I even like it, but more so what were the overarching themes Haneke so subtly conveys.
The main themes of Benny's video are obsession, morality and regret. Benny is only 14 years old but has become so addicted to film, he has slowly become so detached from reality that he kills a young girl because he "wanted to know what it feels like", he records the murder. I've seen some people say Benny recorded it as a confession but I don't see it that way. I think that he unintentionally recorded it, he didn't plan to kill Madchen but when he was given the opportunity he took it, he just wanted to know what it feels like. He does end up using the video as a confession but that's not why he filmed it.
Benny's video is well written and technically perfect. Since Haneke started making films he has never failed to provide technical perfection. My favourite aspects of Benny's video technically are the cinematography and use of the video that Benny films. The use of long takes are great especially during the murder scene which was just masterful. The dialogue never blatantly reveals important plot points, they are shown through good visual storytelling, the audience is treated with respect.
That's all I have to say about Benny's video itself, but I noticed some interesting similarities with Haneke's previous film the seventh continent. Spoilers for the seventh continent.
First of all the seventh continent and Benny's video explore similar themes of morality when commiting murder. In the seventh continent Anna and Georg need to decide whether to kill their child along with themselves or not. In Benny's video Benny's parents need to decide what to do with Benny and the body. They come to the conclusion that Benny and his mother will go to Egypt for a week while his father stays home and cuts the body into small enough pieces to flush down the toilet. In the seventh continent they family uses "going to Australia" as a euphemism for commiting suicide. I'm sure that Benny's video and the seventh continent are not companion pieces or anything like that, I just thought these similarities are interesting.
You should watch Benny's video. it's bleak and extremely well made. If you like any of Haneke's other work you'll like Benny's video.
The main themes of Benny's video are obsession, morality and regret. Benny is only 14 years old but has become so addicted to film, he has slowly become so detached from reality that he kills a young girl because he "wanted to know what it feels like", he records the murder. I've seen some people say Benny recorded it as a confession but I don't see it that way. I think that he unintentionally recorded it, he didn't plan to kill Madchen but when he was given the opportunity he took it, he just wanted to know what it feels like. He does end up using the video as a confession but that's not why he filmed it.
Benny's video is well written and technically perfect. Since Haneke started making films he has never failed to provide technical perfection. My favourite aspects of Benny's video technically are the cinematography and use of the video that Benny films. The use of long takes are great especially during the murder scene which was just masterful. The dialogue never blatantly reveals important plot points, they are shown through good visual storytelling, the audience is treated with respect.
That's all I have to say about Benny's video itself, but I noticed some interesting similarities with Haneke's previous film the seventh continent. Spoilers for the seventh continent.
First of all the seventh continent and Benny's video explore similar themes of morality when commiting murder. In the seventh continent Anna and Georg need to decide whether to kill their child along with themselves or not. In Benny's video Benny's parents need to decide what to do with Benny and the body. They come to the conclusion that Benny and his mother will go to Egypt for a week while his father stays home and cuts the body into small enough pieces to flush down the toilet. In the seventh continent they family uses "going to Australia" as a euphemism for commiting suicide. I'm sure that Benny's video and the seventh continent are not companion pieces or anything like that, I just thought these similarities are interesting.
You should watch Benny's video. it's bleak and extremely well made. If you like any of Haneke's other work you'll like Benny's video.