with an introduction by Enrico Maria Gennari

We have all heard the phrase: “It is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.” With The Seventh Continent (“Der siebente Kontinent”, 1989), however, Haneke brings this painful reality to life.

Inspired by a newspaper article he read, Haneke puts on screen three days in the life of the average middle-class family. Georg and Anna have two regular jobs, a nice apartment, and a car. Their young daughter Eva does her homework, goes to school, and plays with her toys. The actions performed on screen look methodical, mechanical, almost ritualistic. These gestures, which the camera lingers on obsessively, hide a discomfort that none of the family members knows how to express. What they know is that there is no alternative to the routine they seem to be trapped in. Therefore, all they can do is dream of escaping to the farthest place they can think of: Australia.

In his first feature film, Haneke attempts to create a late-capitalist tragedy. Far from the cathartic works of Euripides or Shakespeare, Haneke’s tragedy leaves only apathy and quiet despair.

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