3. Michael Haneke
Directed Memorable Performances in: Code Unknown (2001), The Piano Teacher (2001), Time of the Wolf (2003), Caché (2005), Funny Games (2007), and
The White Ribbon (2009) Best of the Best: Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva in
Amour (2012) As unsettling, disturbing and atmospheric a director this side of Lars Von Tier (who would've been about 13th on this list), Haneke (like some others on this list) thrives on the bleakest and most horrifying elements of the human condition and is never afraid to show an audience exactly his vision. Indeed, most of his work could be classified as outright horror movies in their depictions of darkest parts of society. From his dissection of cultural communication in
Code Unknown, to an examination of past guilt surfacing in unsettling ways in
Caché, to as bleak a look at violence building in a community as has even been done in
The White Ribbon, the man loves the disturbing right-beneath-the-surface nature of humanity. We flinch, wince, and are horrified, but we also cannot look away at what the man is presenting to us. Spurts of extremely graphic violence lace his narratives and cut through to the audience on a visceral level, while also engaging viewers with his finely nuanced and morally complex characters on a mental level.
Overloading the senses is exactly the intent of the auteur's latest work
Amour, released last year. Depicting the rigors of an elderly married couple, going through the pain and anguish of love and aging. Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva are the doomed couple, heart-wrenchingly played to perfection. The tolls of age, love and alienation are played in their faces. Unblinkingly real and honest rendering of what happens when society deems you useless, the couple's downfall is hard to watch but made unforgettable by the chemistry and rapport between the two leads. Indeed the depiction of two souls finding warmth in each in a world so cold, might very well be the director's most accessible work to date.