Code Unknown

As the subtitle to this film (Incomplete Tales of Several Journeys) implies, this is comprises of several vignettes that ultimately correspond with certain characters, but are often cut short (even in the middle of sentences). It's unfortunate that what could be considered the most painless and even hopeful film from Michael Haneke is also his most artistically disappointing. The vignette style never works for me, despite some excellent sequences. As Jessica Winter puts it, "Code Unknown is Michael Haneke's most expansive and, oddly, hopeful work -- not a gaze into the void, but a fierce attempt to scramble out of it." But it doesn't compare with his most satisfying film, Time of the Wolf.