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Michael Haneke is probably the most interesting director in the contemporary cinema history. Born in Munich, 1942, Haneke grew in suburb Austria, Weiner Nestadt. Having learned pschycology, philoshophy and theater at the Vienna University and make side jobs as screenplay writer and literature critic. As a director, his work began to recognized through film The Seventh Continent (1989). Film Code Unknown, starrings by Julliette Binoche, Alexandre Hamidi, Josef Bierbichler, Thierry Neuvic, Luminita Gheorghiu, and Ona Lu Yenke, has established Haneke’s position as world’s important director.
Film Code Unknown is started with the scene of a deaf girl giving an unknown code to her friends. None of the answers can be accepted as truth. The scene then continued with the encounter of Jean (Alexandre Hamidi) and Anne (Julliette Binoche) in the streets of Paris. Jean was projected as a hasty youngman who runaway from home, and search for shelter of his brother (Thierry Neuvic), a photo journalist who’s been assigned in the Balkans. Anne, whom his brother’s girlfriend, is on the rush that she can’t respond well to Jean’s problem. So she’s trying to redeem it by food and the key of her apartment, with the condition that Jean can’t stay there forever. Problem’s begin when Jean throw his food trash to Maria (Luminita Gheorghiu), someone who is then identify as a Romanian immigrant in the city of Paris. This scene as if showing Jean’s feeling of frustration for his problem do not respond well. An African origin music teacher, Amadou (Ona Lu Yenke), saw the event of mockery and asked Jean for apologizing to Maria. Jean repelled, Amadou insisted while Maria attempted to escape from the unrest.
The unrest between Amadou and Jean drew attention of a shop-owner who felt annoyed by their action. Not long since came Anne, but the fight continues. At last the police arrive. When asking the troublemaker IDs, the police come to release Jean, but captures Amadou and Maria. This blink occurance, open the film’s subject matter. The matter that would reveals contemporary social problem of France, especially Paris, and Europe in general. As the film reaches end, we’re manage to identify the problem that has unlock in the beginning of the film.
What is the problem of France that wanted to show in this film? Almost akin to Haneke’s older work, 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance, film Code Unknown also presenting vague scenes which mirroring in various actors/actresses’ point of view. In this film, the spaces of problems unbolted by an actress, African immigrant, Arab punk, Romanian immigrant and Bosnian war journalist. Although there’s significant difference with earlier Haneke’s works, such as an exceptional violence presentation, the problem elevated by this film is also hard. When this film made, Europe is dealing a new wave of migration, which is casing a hardship in communication, both interpersonal and intercultural. Not only showing the changing reality of Europe, this film is interesting to see Haneke’s laughing at reality.
The scene where Juliette Binoche become hysterical when seeing a boy who almost fell from the high tower apartment seem so real, before finally the audience became astonished by an off-screen laughing. Apparently, the scene was only a sound synchronization in a studio. In this scene, seems like Haneke is attempting to ask back the truth image. This scene remind audience on earlier Haneke’s films (Benny’s Video and Funny Games, as well as Caché), where media, including the emergence of video, are giving spaces to create a combination between reality and fiction.
Apart from the problem of fiction and reality images earlier, at least there are three fundamental problems facing by France when Code Unknown started to produce. First, economy problem. France, as other European countries, is preparing to welcome European integration, which marked with Maastricht agreement, the Netherlands, in 1992 and welcoming the application of European single currency in 2002. This film is a respond to the emergence of European integration which not fully accepted by the society.
The problem is, integration has slowly absorp the establishment of European citizens, which now have to face the new wave of migration. This migration wave is surely big problem in Europe at the era of postcolonial. With the emergence of European integration, there occur a more extensive wave of migration. For France, Africa is the major problem, since most parts of its colonial regions are countries in that area. The extensive wave of migration in the post European integration bring a basic economy problem. The establish French society been challenged by this wave of economic migration. Many of their economic position being replaced by the immigrants, thus causing jealousy.
Second, political problem. Postcolonialism has brought about a spotlight for ex-colony countries to regain their rights. The spirit of trans-boundary states sounded by the European integration have made a reconsideration to the French government about their political position in Europe and the world. The massive migration wave has took France on the course between integrating or self defending. The cosmopolitan image of French politics is in fact unable to hold the still racist public aspiration. We can see this reality in the first scene of unrest between Jean and Amadou, and Anne’s rejection to speak to an Arab boy in a train where this film leads to an end. In the condition between melting and retaining identity, no wonder if many conservative parties thrived in France. As a state which stuck in a way, France wanted to defend itself from incursion. Conservatism, thereby, become medium of self defense. Conservatives like Jean-Marie Le Pen is so aggressively attacking immigrants with such racist words. When the police prefer of arresting Amadou compare to Jean, who is naturally mistaken, we earn to the smell of rascism in Europe. Jean and Anne are the representation of local French, while Amadou, who has black skin, is a representation of immigrant, even if he speaks the same language.
Third, cultural problem. In the time when state border is disregard, the emergence of new European economy, problems of migration and the confusion of French political position, has made gaps both socially and culturally. Fluid encounters between four people in Parisian streets in this film marking a social fracture in contemporary urban society of France. Failure of communication become the grand theme of this film. In the case of Maria, whom also immigrant, she was detained for her communication disability. In such a brilliant way, Haneke has made a provocative film concerning social gaps, incomplete cultural assimilation, and failure of communication. All kind of communication which is suppose to be easy tend to always interrupted in this film. Racist prejudices projected to open up our eyes at the monoethnical thinking of European society, especially France. At the end, the film close with rhythmical music play by Amadou and his deaf students. This scene as if describing the human character, whom inherently, owning some communication bias. As a universal language, music become the sign for Europe future. A criticism to a claustrophobic Europe. A criticism to an unwillingly melting European society, who always feel insecure even now the world is in a rapid movement crossing over the boundary of states.
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