Lukas Miko

Haneke's articulate critique of the isolating effects of western society, the media and television in particular, is composed of an intricate series of unrelated scenes, culminating in an apparently motiveless act of violence.

The story of Maria Paradis, a gifted piano player, who lost her eyesight as a child. Desperate to cure their daughter, her parents entrust Maria to Dr. Franz Mesmer. Using his technique, Maria recovers her sight. But this miracle comes at a price.

Stella Goldschlag (Paula Beer), a young German Jew, grows up in Berlin during the Nazi regime. After being forced to go into hiding, her life soon turns into a culpable tragedy when she is caught by the Gestapo. Tortured and threatened, Stella makes the crushing decision to save her parents and herself from deportation to Auschwitz by becoming a "grabber" and betraying other Jews in hiding.

To withstand the psychological torture of the Gestapo, a notary imprisoned by the Nazis (Oliver Masucci, "Look Who's Back") rescues himself in the world of chess. Based on the novel by Stefan Zweig.