The Seventh Continent (1989)
"Der siebente Kontinent" (original title)

A European family who plan on escaping to Australia, seem caught up in their daily routine, only troubled by minor incidents. However, behind their apparent calm and repetitive existence, they are actually planning something sinister.

Director:

Michael Haneke

Writers:

Michael Haneke, Johanna Teicht (script)

Stars:

Birgit Doll, Dieter Berner, Leni Tanzer

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview:
Birgit Doll	...	Anna Schober
Dieter Berner	...	Georg Schober
Leni Tanzer	...	Evi Schober
Udo Samel	...	Alexander
Silvia Fenz	...	Optiker Kundin
Robert Dietl
Elisabeth Rath	...	Lehrerin
Georges Kern
Georg Friedrich	...	Störungsdienst der Post

Storyline

A European family who plan on escaping to Australia, seem caught up in their daily routine, only troubled by minor incidents. However, behind their apparent calm and repetitive existence, they are actually planning something sinister.

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Plot Keywords:

knife | suicide note | writing on a wall | husband wife relationship | quitting a job | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Austria

Language:

German French English

Release Date:

14 April 1993 (France)

Also Known As:

The Seventh Continent

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wega Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First part of Michael Haneke's "Glaciation Trilogy" also including Benny's Video and 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance.

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Quotes

Anna Schober: Did you like the Mickey your uncle Alex brought you? He loves you very much. You know that? Me too. Do you feel alone sometimes? Do you love dad and me?
[Evi hugs her mother]
Anna Schober: Okay, time to say your prayers.

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Connections

Followed by Benny's Video (1992)

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Soundtracks

"The Power of Love"
(uncredited)
Written by Wolfgang Detmann, Gunther Mende, Jennifer Rush and Mary Susan Applegate
Performed by Jennifer Rush

User Reviews

Not enjoyable, yet manages to affect the viewer.

I went into this film with very high expectations. Unfortunately, I can't say that it lived up to them. The first hour is incredibly dull, as we watch an upper middle-class family lifelessly perform mundane tasks (take a shower, eat breakfast, tie shoes, etc.). I failed to sympathize with any of the characters, and some scenes dragged on so long that I found my mind wandering. I generally don't mind long takes, and even in other films by the same director (Funny Games, Benny's Video, etc.) thought they were used extremely well. However, here they were simply tedious.

The film wasn't totally a let down however; far from it. The last 45 minutes really picks up intensity and re-grabs the viewer's interest. I won't spoil anything for those who haven't seen it, but the scene in which the family destroys their own house and possessions is extremely well done. The ending is bleak and depressingly powerful, and I realized that it wouldn't have worked without the boring first hour. But that doesn't change the fact that it was boring.

Overall, I had trouble giving this film a number rating, but I guess it would be somewhere around a 6/10. I think it's possible that that number would change on a second viewing, but to be honest, I doubt I would ever want to watch this film again.