The White Ribbon

            

      This is Niya. This week we began watching Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon. The film set in pre- World War I Germany and shown in black and white tells the ultimate tale of limit and repression. Every character it seems finds themselves, at one point or another, with the dilemma of doing something they would enjoy or facing extreme repercussions for their actions. Not a big fan of movies myself, I cannot imagine how a black and white film can evoke any positive feeling. Every scene I found myself waiting to see a villainous character lurking in the shadows. This lack of color made even enjoyable scenes of laughter and dancing seem cold and distant.

            Within the village, there is a clear sense of authority. Both on the micro scale of the priests’ family to the village hierarchy as a whole. This social structure only seems to increase the level of tension within relationships. The children of minister, it seems, wear this tension directly around their necks. The white ribbons they must tie around their necks as a sign of innocence, or lack thereof, act more as a reminder of their subservience to their parents and society than as a reminder of personal morals. These children also made to kiss the hand of each parent before going to bed are filled with conflict between their own will and the structure that their parents have created. Looking at the internal struggle of the children directly correlates with the battle between the id and society as discussed in Sigmund Freud’s Civilization and its Discontents. This work, which describes in detail infamous terms: id, ego, and superego also discusses the constant battle between one’s id and civilization as a whole. The id, the greatest part of ourselves that seeks to avoid pain and maximize pleasure works in direct opposition of the repressive energies inherent within society. This battle, as described by Freud, can end in societal chaos if the id wins, or a severe repression of the id is society is the victor. I look forward to seeing how this battle will play out within the film!