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Time of the Wolf More at IMDbPro »Le temps du loup (original title)

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64 reviews in total

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35 out of 44 people found the following review useful:
A Family's Struggle Following the Unthinkable, 27 April 2005

Author: Joseph-CTR-Peed from Atlanta GA

This is a stark, dark, unconventional, and unsettling story film. But in the context of that chaos, what it means to be human is beautifully developed. The story revolves around a single French family thrown into the countryside in some post-apocalyptic period. The producer uses an almost documentary approach to the story. This reveals to us the rather drastic and desperate nature of their circumstances, but, unexpectedly, also reveals things like kindness to strangers, forbearance with other's weaknesses, fortitude, and reaching out. These positive human traits are contrasted with those of the stubborn uncaring adolescent boy who would rather hang off in the wood, and venture in only to steal what he wants... the lone Wolf. Its a very engaging and moving work. At one point, I found myself in tears at one particularly heart-rending scene. Humanity at a time of great stress is poignantly pictured, both in its strengths, and in its Sin. The acting is simply incredible, especially the mother and her younger daughter. Unlike the Hollywood films, this film offers no magic solutions, no instant fixes, no easy outs. Goverments have failed, and now common people are paying the price. Society has been reduced to the lowest common denominators. But the film seems to conclude with the idea that recovery is possible, through cooperation and sacrifice. There is some closure to the family's immediate straits. This film has the power to make us think about what we are doing to each other, and what might possibly happen if we let them go over the edge............

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44 out of 65 people found the following review useful:
Haneke and Hobbes, 31 January 2005

Author: Rogier van Reekum from Netherlands

It is funny to me how a lot of people react to this movie. It seems they feel that this movie shows us decadent westerners what living in more impoverished and exploited parts of the globe is like. Well, it's a very fine film, but that certainly not what it's about. To reduce every artistic expression to world affairs is a rather shameless exposition of western self-guilt and political correctness. Now, there is enough to be ashamed about, but why should that always be connected to artistic expressions of western artists. Please stop politicizing everything. Le Temps du Loup is not about the third world, anyone who thinks that third world countries look any thing like what is happening in Haneke's film is out of his/her mind. News flash, people in the third world actually life daily, relatively stable lives, notwithstanding rampant poverty and high levels of violence and unsafety. What we see in Le Temps du Loup is what Hobbes means by "State of Nature", a lawless, non-dominated society. What Haneke shows in minute detail (and in that lies his greatest accomplishment) is that human connection, trust and intimacy is always in some senses based on dominating practices that stabilize the uncertainties and risks of interacting and competing with others in a shared social environment. The ambiguous status of the Koslowski character is a case in point, are his actions justifiable or is he just an exploitative oppressor? Same for the horse, but now in a more confronting way, because the line between fact and fiction is crossed. So Temps du Loup is an analysis of human co-habitation of any human society. Art is not political, what we do with it is.

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33 out of 44 people found the following review useful:
Exceptionally directed, 25 December 2004

Author: zetes from Saint Paul, MN

If there's one subgenre that particularly appeals to me, it is the post-apocalyptic movie, or any movie dealing with the end of civilization. I don't know why the subject fascinates me so, but it does. Haneke's The Time of the Wolf is one of the best of its type ever made. Some sort of cataclysm has occurred – all we really know is that most water supplies are tainted – and we follow a mother and her two children (the father is with them when the film opens) as they vie for survival. Life now is all about the few material possessions you have preserved. You try to hold onto a semblance of your values, but they seem mostly vestigial. Isabelle Huppert returns as Haneke's star. She and her children are the point around which everything happens, but they are just three people amongst many. The young girl who plays her daughter, Anaïs Demoustier, gives a particularly amazing performance. We talked (ed: on the Classic Film forum of IMDb) last week (or perhaps the week before) about the directors influenced by Hitchcock and those influenced by Bresson, and Huppert in an interview explains how both directors have influenced Haneke. It's definitely true. Haneke uses suspense in a much different manner than Hitchcock, but the devices are surprisingly similar.

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17 out of 23 people found the following review useful:
Unique post-apocalypse drama, 6 April 2005

Author: ThrownMuse from The land of the Bunyips

A French woman (Isabelle Huppert) and her two young children struggle for survival shortly after an unidentified apocalypse. This is a very different sort of post-apocalyptic film--it is very minimalist and dramatic. The most fascinating aspect is that whatever happened to the world is never explained or even discussed by the characters. The only thing they know is that uncontaminated water is scarce and personal belongings are very valuable. They are living in the present, fighting for survival. The characters are often devoid of extreme emotion during the crises they face in the film, so the viewer assumes that whatever happened that changed the world must have been graphic and brutal.

Haneke is an exceptional filmmaker and has quite an eye. The combination of lingering camera-work and lack of score create an uneasy tension. Some might argue that the movie is boring because there isn't much action, but I thought it was visually stunning. The movie attempts to be about post-apocalypse social struggle and power--including conflict between different nationalities and genders--but it could have been more successful in doing this. The acting is outstanding (especially by Huppert and the actress that plays her daughter). Even though she gets co-billing, Beatrice Dalle is only in the film for a bit, but she does have a "Betty Blue"-style freak-out. I recommend this to anyone who likes post-apocalypse movies and is interested in seeing a hauntingly realistic one.

My Rating: 7/10

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15 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
A time for wolves .., 18 February 2005

Author: alexx668

"Temps Du Loup" is probably Michael Haneke's most successful attempt at presenting his bleak outlook on mankind.

Vaguely set in a post-apocalyptic world, the film works both ways: a. at isolating various institutions and values (society, family, religion) outside of their normal environment, and therefore analyzing them more thoroughly; b. as an exercise in evoking beautiful imagery out of spartan and plain settings.

While the first is certainly no new ground for Haneke (the storyline is less complex than his previous effort, "La Pianiste", yet the scope is much grander), the second means that this is his most cinematic and elegant effort yet.

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21 out of 34 people found the following review useful:
A Chilling Pleasure, 5 July 2004
Author: CharlesKinbote from United States

Just saw TIME OF THE WOLF in New York City, and it is a complete pleasure. A very subtle film about individual and mass psychology after an unnamed cataclysm.

Also a cautionary tale about having plenty of fresh batteries, lighters, and a good knife, or knives, on hand (you never know when you're going to have to skin your own dinner; hey, call me extreme when that unnamed cataclysm comes around).

An added bonus: no digital effects (although I think they got lucky with fog one day, and made a beautiful scene with it), no manic editing as a substitute for storytelling, no facile heroics, no predictable deus ex machina...it will cleanse the visual palette. It stars Isabelle Huppert, but she is so naturalistic you forget she's Isabelle Huppert.

For an altogether different, but equally pleasurable, although more theatrical, yet completely underrated take on the unnamed cataclysm bit, see

A BOY AND HIS DOG. A dream of a movie.

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13 out of 20 people found the following review useful:
Dark and involving mood piece, 31 January 2005

Author: Carl_Tait from New York, NY

Haneke's nightmare vision of a post-apocalyptic world is darkly atmospheric and beautifully photographed. True, there isn't much of a plot and the pace is slow. The film is primarily a mood piece, but a very good one. Unlike the usual end-of-the-world thriller, the characters aren't facing any ghoulish monsters other than each other. This approach lends a striking realism to the movie.

Some of Haneke's films -- especially "Funny Games" -- are marred by heavy-handed social commentary. Happily, this is not a problem in "Time of the Wolf." One can always read politics into any allegory, but it is quite unnecessary in this film. I neither know nor care whether Haneke had a specific political situation in mind; what matters is that the resulting movie stands on its own as an artistic achievement.

8/10. Recommended for fans of grim, moody films.

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6 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
a fascinating look at what happens to people when the normal ties of society, which they have lived under for all their lives, are suddenly shattered., 17 April 2005

Author: Deanna Carmichael from United States

Time of the Wolf is an end of the world movie. But do not look for big special effects pieces in this one. You will not find a single one. Do not look for mad max running around in a souped up muscle car. Not gonna find it. Do not even look for a musical soundtrack. There is not one note of music in this movie (aside from a short scene where someone is listening to a tape player). No, there is no what-so-ever glitz here. No action scenes. This film's pace is slow and deliberate, and it is real. This film is about what it would really be like if the end of the world came.

Do not make a mistake here, just because there is no wise-cracking bad guy leading hoards of murderous cut-throats, it does not mean there is no drama or danger here. The thing is, when normal everyday people are put into this kind of situation, there is no telling what is going to happen. That grocery store manager you thought was quiet and harmless might turn out to be a tyrannical dictator. The jerk down the street might turn out to be a hero. The characters in this film run the gamut. There is cruelty and compassion.

The main portion of the film deals with a group of people who are waiting at an abandoned train station in the hope that a train from the south might come to rescue them. We never really know what has happened. We only know that something catastrophic has happened. The film deals with the efforts of this group of people to survive not only the catastrophe but themselves as well. Time of the Wolf is a realistic and gritty look at what would happen after an apocalyptic event where only a few people have survived. It is a fascinating look at what happens to people when the normal ties of society, which they have lived under for all their lives, are suddenly shattered. Two hours definitely well spent. – Deanna Carmichael (www.2-hours.com)

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7 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
A powerful film...which gave me nightmares!, 19 April 2004

Author: sean-349 from Hong Kong

This is a powerful film which not only lingered in my thoughts for days, but which gave me, and those who saw it with me, vivid nightmares. Although the story of people trying to survive in the aftermath of a disaster is nothing new, Haneke's bleak vision of an imploding society packs not only a punch but also a long, increasingly unbearable squeeze. The cinematography lends a stunning realism: night shots really look like night, the fog shots are eerily beautiful - these all conspire brilliantly to drag you further into the nightmare. Rhythmically, Haneke is masterful, and the acting - especially by Isabelle Huppert - is excellent. From start to its hair-raising, Tarkovsky-esque finish, Temps du Loup is something of a miracle, capturing our disparate natures down to the core.

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3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
A tribute to Andrei Tarkovski?, 9 January 2007

Author: saladin-8 from Brooklyn, NY

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

The film is full of references to Andrei Tarkovski's films. The apocalyptic tone of the film is the same than in "the sacrifice". Some scenes of the forest are very similar to the forests we see in "Ivan's childhood" or in "Zerkalo" (the mirror). The little brother looks like Ivan while the lonely boy who stays in the forest easily evokes "Stalker"'s main character. I would be tempted to say that the mother (Isabelle Huppert) who fights to survive with her two children also evokes the mother in "Zerkalo". I am sure that if you look with closer attention you can find some more parallelism. The irony is that in Tarkovski's films, water is everywhere, not in "le temps du loup" ...

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