Benny's Video
Dir: Michael Haneke
1992
*****
For years the older generation have blamed TV, Horror films and comic books on youth violence and the breakdown of society - like violence has only been around the same amount of time as TV, horror films and comic books have. The human race is not perfect. What Haneke shows here is a deeply disturbing look at a very real threat to society and that is how unconnected with the world kids really are these days due to modern technology. This is handled brilliantly and is necessarily unpleasant at times. Made in 1992, this is pretty ahead of its time, these day's the Internet has taken over most kids lives; you don't learn, you google, you don't read, you watch, you don't write, you tweet. I'm not saying kids are going to start killing each other more (although they do seem to be doing exactly that) and I'm not saying that technology is the only reason but the line of fantasy and reality and the illusion and disillusion of what is right and wrong, acceptable and unacceptable is getting more and more blurred in kids minds. I may sound like a grumpy old man but this is a serious problem, Haneke knows it and this little tale might as well be a future shock. It's nice that Haneke has remained stubborn in his brutality which is never gratuitous but is always necessary.