Patience is sometimes rewarding. It was difficult to become engrossed into this film at first, but as the film wore on, it was difficult not to become involved in this story of rural Germany just before WWI.
Other reviews have mentioned the 'quiet violence' and 'the socialization of rage' which the film depicts, but this film stands out in its subtlety. It is all too easy to be cynical about the present age, and idealize history in all its Mad Men-esque glamour and glory.
But this film is not just a forewarning of the nation-state-led violence which scarred the first half of the twentieth century; it really questions our own relationship with history and how susceptible our moral lens is to specks of dust that distort our perception of the big picture.
The White Ribbon is supposed to be a symbol of innocence and purity, but it is clear this obvious symbolism should be treated with more care. But despite the slogans and mission statements which we ourselves live by today, it is important to note how far society and humanity has learnt from its mistakes and strives to progress even further, even if that path is not always a smooth one.
Notwithstanding the cold, concrete figures of economics or legal-political structures that all-too-often dominate our lives, the arts remind us of what life is all about - curiosity, learning and connecting with others.
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