Death Images in Michael Haneke’s Films

Abstract

Although meditating on death has long been a central philosophical practice and is gaining prominence in modern European public discourse, certain misconceptions still persist. The Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke does not shy away from confronting real and performed images of death, combining a denouncing cinematic approach with no less polemic aesthetic and ethical theories. Certainly, visually shocking and disturbing films can, in their own way, challenge the boundaries of what is thinkable, at times even touching upon the unthinkable. Images of death and death-related themes are particularly pervasive in Haneke’s films. His films raise significant philosophical and ethical questions about mortality, violence, death, and ageing. This analysis is a tentative attempt to map how Haneke explores representations of death and dying in Benny’s Video (1992) and Funny Games (1997), with particular reference to the rewind gesture depicted in both films. In doing so, it aims to examine the conversation such films prompt between moving images and the audience.

Keywords

• Michael Haneke
• film philosophy
• death image
• violence
• rewind