Time of the Wolf
Time of the Wolf

Movie spotlight

Time of the Wolf

2003
Movie
113 min
French

A middle-class family flees an unspecified disaster that has struck the city and takes refuge in their country home. They think this will allow them to escape the chaos, but they soon realize that getting away won’t be so easy.

Insights

IMDb6.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes75%
Metacritic64/100
Google Users70%
Director: Michael HanekeGenres: Drama, Thriller, Mystery

Plot Summary

Anne and her two children retreat to a remote country house after an unspecified societal collapse. As their supplies dwindle and the outside world becomes increasingly dangerous, they face growing paranoia and the breakdown of their own humanity. The film depicts their struggle for survival in a world where civilization has fractured, forcing them to confront primal fears and difficult moral choices.

Critical Reception

Time of the Wolf received mixed to positive reviews, with many critics praising its unsettling atmosphere and Haneke's typically unflinching direction. However, some found its bleakness and ambiguity challenging, leading to divided opinions on its overall effectiveness. It is considered a significant, albeit difficult, work in Haneke's filmography.

What Reviewers Say

  • Praised for its chilling atmosphere and existential dread.

  • Hailed as a masterclass in suspense and psychological tension.

  • Criticized by some for its deliberate pacing and bleak outlook.

Google audience: Audiences generally appreciated the film's intense atmosphere and thought-provoking themes, but many found its slow pace and ambiguous nature to be frustrating.

Awards & Accolades

Nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.

Fun Fact

The film's deliberately ambiguous nature extends to its setting, with no specific location or time period being explicitly stated, enhancing its universal and timeless quality.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

1 reviews
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

To be honest, I was expecting something just a bit more substantial from auteur Michael Haneke as he takes a distinctly French approach to apocalyptic drama. Suffice to say that the human economy and infrastructure have largely collapsed an...