Benny's Video, the 1992 feature from director Michael Haneke, was the second installment in what many have called Haneke's Glaciation Trilogy. His feature debut, The Seventh Continent, Benny's Video, and the wordy 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance make up this "Glaciation Trilogy". The trilogy examines the postmodern world and the alienation and isolation of individuals within it. Benny's Video shows a maladjusted 14-year-old boy whose bedroom looks more like a television studio with cameras scattered about catching every possible angle both inside of his room and out. Benny has fully retreated into the screens that surround him, succumbing to the violent images he watches on repeat. Unable to connect or relate to those in the real world, Benny has manufactured a microcosm of his own he can retreat to. The problem is, eventually, Benny's fabricated existence does not prove fulfilling enough for him, and he decides he needs to bring in an outsider. Forever mysticised by a video of a slaughtered pig, Benny gets the idea to replicate the video on a human being. He seems engrossed by the idea of acting out the violence he spends his days watching and even more interested in the idea of dominating a living person. When he acts out this fantasy on an unsuspecting girl his age, the audience is left shocked by his parent's decision to cover-up Benny's crime, leaving us to wonder how isolated the entire family is from the world in which they live.Michael Haneke makes a frank commentary through Benny's Video about the constant media reporting of violent images and how such reporting leaves the audience desensitized to those images. This desensitization is just as much an issue today as it was 25 years ago when Haneke made his film. We hear about death in all of its explicit detail every day, but once the story is old news, it's on to the next in the endless cycle. Just one month ago in Las Vegas, a man opened fire on a crowd injuring 546 people, killing 58 before turning the gun on himself. Two weeks after the shooting, news outlets were filled with other stories, moved on from the devastation of that evening and covering the next story. Haneke was judicious to see that a 24-hour news cycle brought with it an oversaturation of violence leaving people unable to empathize with those they see through a screen, as they are constantly replaced by the next barrage of victims.In addition to the assessment on violent imagery, Benny's Video also delivers a heavy critique of the economic system, as well. Just as in his debut feature, Haneke criticizes money and the value placed upon it as he shows Benny, who obviously belongs to a wealthy family, and the flippant way he spends whatever money he comes into. Money is just as dispensable as the people in Benny's life, and he proves that by spending freely and rarely engaging in a meaningful way with the people that he fills his time with. In The Seventh Continent, Haneke exposes how much money we spend simply buying the necessities we need in order to live, conversely, in Benny's Video, Haneke reveals how we waste money on things we don't need in order to fill the time in our days. It is clear Haneke is still thinking about the meaningless of existence when it is so confined to the structure of society's expectations. The impossibility of living right in an unjust world is a theme continuously explored in Haneke's films. The impact of the economic system and its hold on morality is constantly scrutinized by Haneke.Alienation, isolation, and disconnect are also thoroughly explored throughout Benny's Video. Benny, even by the tender age of fourteen, had already alienated himself from society so much he struggled with meaningful connections when he was around people, a rare event in his life. The question remains, based on the lives of the adults Haneke presents, was Benny an outcast in his society based on his penchant for violent behavior, or had his immaturity simply prevented him from exhibiting such behavior in a more socially acceptable way? Haneke doesn't provide the answers, but by asking the question, he once again forces his audience into a much-needed self-examination. Benny spent most of his life isolated from other human beings. When he was home, he was alone and only viewed the world through the screens he surrounded himself with. When Benny was at school, he largely kept to himself and withdrew from most social interactions. The one friend he does spend a bit of time with, he simply exchanges the expected social niceties, always keeping himself from divulging anything too personal with the boy. Not only does Haneke explore open disconnect among people, but he also reveals how disconnected we are even when we appear to be connected. There is a moment where Benny is seen making plans with a school friend moments after committing murder. He doesn't let on that anything is remiss, exposing the fraud that Benny's social interactions actually are. Haneke, again, subverts the usually communal mealtime. Benny spends most of his time alone at his house while his parents spend most of their time at work. Benny's meals are set aside for him so he can microwave them after school. There exists no familial bonding over meals in Benny's family, revealing, in yet another way, that even the moments typically reserved for human connection can further produce isolation. Seeing the life of the adults in Benny's Video, cold and isolated, one is left to wonder how to thrive in such a society, and if murderous rage lurks beneath the societal expectations in all of us.

I can't believe that this film is so high rated here, I just couldn't stand it, it was a pain to get to the end of it. An hour and a half of pure nothing, the story can be summarized in 2 lines, the actual events could have been squeezed in a 10 minutes short film. All the rest is useless crap: a cup of coffee on a table filmed for about 10 seconds, 2 full minutes of annoying arabian music with mother and son on the bed without uttering a word, long, unbearably long scenes where NOTHING at all happens, unexisting dialogue, unexpressive characters, everything about this movie is pure bore, tedium, humdrum.The twist end doesn't save the failure of what could have been a good story, if only it were brought on film in a different way. Sorry herr Haneke, I did like Funny Games, but this crap is unwatchable.

A relentlessly humourless, quietly accusing and sad portrait of the modern bourgeoisie. Benny is a normal teenager. That's a very important thing to acknowledge, throughout the film. His monosyllabism and deadpan, expression-void face are familiar to us. Haneke is clearly tying this (and the rather muted content of his life, not to mention the drab palette of the production design) to his parents emotional absence and the substitute excitement he gets from media - videos and music.So the story turns in a violent moment although Benny's attempts to assimilate his actions are dysfunctional (he can't bring himself to speak to his friends about it and largely carries on as normal). Seen in these terms the terse performance of Arno Frisch is ideal for Haneke, super acting. Ulrich Mühe's father is also a fine understated study of an intelligent adult boxed in by incomprehension. Angela Winkler as Benny's mother really comes into her own during a brief trip to Egypt, the one moment of respite in the film, where the cracks of despair are almost a relief from the stifling focus on the second hand image.The film rotates about two short moments - the pivotal violent act and Benny's father's question to the boy about it 'Why did you do it?' 'I wanted to know what it would feel like'. Classically for Haneke, both act and response are rather equivocal although we understand that the boy's social disassociation within a complacent, bourgeois lifestyle has germinated catastrophe. A well-made, strongly moral but cheerless film. 7/10

Michael Haneke is a filmmaker that isn't afraid to go all out to shock his viewer. My only previous experience with the director was his later film 'Funny Games', which I enjoyed immensely for its pitch black humour and willingness to go that extra mile to ensure that the film shocks as it should. While I didn't enjoy Benny's Video as much as Funny Games on the whole, it is an overall more shocking film due to the youth of its main character and the matter-of-fact way that the story is presented. Michael Haneke affords his film a gritty atmosphere through cheap-looking film stock and constant cuts with material shot on a video camera. The film focuses on a young man named Benny. Benny has an obsession with violent horror, and his favourite tape appears to be footage of a pig being slaughtered. He takes it upon himself to steal the slaughter gun, and when his parents leave him at home unsupervised; he invites a young girl into his house. It's not long before the slaughter gun is being put to use again, and the murder of the girl is caught on Benny's video camera.On the one hand, this is a dark and gritty portrayal of a situation that no one would want to be in, and at its strong points; Benny's Video is an emotionally involving and even tormenting film. However, it would seem that the director wasn't really sure about where exactly to take it, and has unfortunately seen fit to pad the film out with drawn out and not entirely relevant sequences, which ultimately brings it down. All the main characters are well presented and believable, and the film benefits from a strong cast of actors that manage to get into their characters well. The best scene in the movie sees Benny's parents discussing what they do, and if the entire movie was as good as that scene; Haneke would have had a masterpiece on his hands. Michael Haneke's direction is very 'no frills', as while he uses tricks such as cutting the film with video camera footage, it's all done very calmly...which ultimately benefits the film, as the sober atmosphere really allows the audience to be dragged in. Overall, as mentioned; the film isn't as easy to get on with as the later 'Funny Games', but Benny's Video will no doubt appeal to those who enjoy dark and challenging films.