Code Unknown (Code inconnu: Récit incomplet de divers voyages) (2000)

70% of critics liked it
(37 reviews)
77% of users liked it
(4,709 ratings)

German-born filmmaker Michael Haneke continues the bleak, formalist experimentation of his 1994 breakthrough 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance with this similarly fragmented tale of racism, intolerance, and hatred in modern-day Paris. The focus of the narrative is split between three sets of… More German-born filmmaker Michael Haneke continues the bleak, formalist experimentation of his 1994 breakthrough 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance with this similarly fragmented tale of racism, intolerance, and hatred in modern-day Paris. The focus of the narrative is split between three sets of people: the French actress Anne (Juliette Binoche), her husband and in-laws; a Romanian woman, Maria (Luminita Gheorghiu), who struggles to raise money for her family back home; and Amadou (Ona Lu Yenke), a teacher for the deaf who is at odds with his resolute African clan. The catalyst for the stories begins on a streetcorner, where Anne's brother-in-law Jean (Alexandre Hamadi) insults Maria, who is begging for change; incensed, Amadou picks a fight with Jean, resulting in negative repercussions for the triptych of protagonists. Throughout, Haneke punctuates the action with his unique editing and use of sound. After its Cannes debut, Code Inconnu made its North American premiere at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 58 min.
Directed By: Michael Haneke
Written By: Michael Haneke
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Jan 1, 2000 Wide
On DVD: Aug 6, 2002
Studio: Kino on Video

Critic Reviews

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
At the center of the film -- the real reason it was made -- is Binoche, one of the genuinely radiant presences in movies today.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Haneke has a sure way with actors -- allowing them to seem to be living rather than acting their roles -- tat matches his ability to capture the rhythms and routines of everyday life with a graceful, unstudied ease.
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
Code Unknown gets at the ache and angst of the human condition in ways that shiver with telling detail and the machinations of real life. It's powerful.
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News
Beautifully shot and acted, particularly by Juliette Binoche.
Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle
The wonderful Binoche ... hot-wires what could have been a coldly intellectual film.
Jessica Winter, Village Voice
Haneke's most expansive and, oddly, hopeful work -- not a gaze into the void, but a fierce attempt to scramble out of it.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
Michael Haneke's only attempt to be emotionally salient.
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness
[Haneke's] socio-political condemnations assume an aggressively hectoring tone.
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
Packed with provocative ideas and fragments of provocative ideas.
Rich Cline, Film Threat
Even if it's a bit 'foreign' and arty, it's also consistently gripping, thoughtful, powerful stuff, assembled in an unusual way that catches us off guard and never preaches.
Brent Simon, Entertainment Today
An interesting concept... [but] one doomed by a lack of characterization, Code Unknown remains a jumble of unknowable elements.
Jason Clark, Matinee Magazine
A truly absorbing drama.
Steve Tilley, Jam! Movies
This French-language film is fiercely intellectual and thoughtful.
Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly
Awash in ravishing images ... that will haunt you long after you leave the theater.
Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Daily News
Tackles contemporary cosmopolitan ennui with unfailing sensitivity and perceptiveness, and that more than makes its stories worth knowing.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

Code Unknown is a relatively subtle piece considering it's from Haneke, just when you think it is going to go down the somewhat cliched 'Chaos theory' route it doesn't and his unfinished approach to films possibly works best here. It can be frustrating at times… More
Code Unknown is a relatively subtle piece considering it's from Haneke, just when you think it is going to go down the somewhat cliched 'Chaos theory' route it doesn't and his unfinished approach to films possibly works best here. It can be frustrating at times though as some characters get more development than others but it also has its brilliant intense moments that Haneke is now famous for. The scene with the little boy next to the pool is a real edge of your seat moment. All in all, really good, it certainly has hints of his later and in my opinion, best works so a good introduction to the director.
Ken S

Very complex intertwining stories about life in modern society. Sort of like Crash, only for Adults.
Mark A

A strange tale, if indeed it can be called that. The subtitle, "Incomplete Tales of Several Journeys" sums it up pretty well. Juliette Binoche was lovely and carried the film. The rest was just window dressing and had no obvious connecting narrative, or meaning, beyond each… More
A strange tale, if indeed it can be called that. The subtitle, "Incomplete Tales of Several Journeys" sums it up pretty well. Juliette Binoche was lovely and carried the film. The rest was just window dressing and had no obvious connecting narrative, or meaning, beyond each individual scene. The use of jarring jump cuts from one scene to the next emphasized the discontinuity and left one somewhat bewildered as to how it all fit together. That obviously was the director's intention, but it just didn't work for this viewer. If this was supposed to spotlight the way the various characters interconnected, then it succeeded on only a most superficial level. Their lives may have intersected briefly, but one could hardly call it any more than that. Quite disappointing overall.
Daniel P

An engrossing, cleverly constructed film from Michael Haneke (Hidden, The Piano Teacher). Since Haneke continually refuses to answer any questions regarding his films or the meaning of his themes (a word he hates), I can only offer my own opinion… More
An engrossing, cleverly constructed film from Michael Haneke (Hidden, The Piano Teacher). Since Haneke continually refuses to answer any questions regarding his films or the meaning of his themes (a word he hates), I can only offer my own opinion as to what is going on here. Incomplete scenes showing moments in the lives of a French African teacher in a school for the deaf, a Romanian refugee, a photographer, a teenage runaway and an aspiring actress are cut together, possibly in sequential order, and intersect and connect in various, sometimes subtle ways. The film seems to be about the ways in which these characters feel alienated in society. There are breakdowns in communication because of generational differences, xenophobia, apathy, personal aspirations and more besides. Each 'moment' finishes with an abrupt blackout, sometimes with characters in mid sentence, and the couple of seconds between two segments often feels likes a chance to absorb what is going on, or allow for a 'breather'. Aside from one ingenious segment where the question of reality comes into focus, each scene is filmed without cuts, either with the camera positioned statically or on tracks, which seems to both heighten realism whilst maintaining an artificial feel, if that's even possible. I'm not exactly sure if the film is entirely successful and some of the scenes feel superfluous, but there's some gripping and thoughtful stuff here. Juliette Binoche is especially excellent as the actress, with one particularly stand-out scene where she rehearses for a film role direct to camera; her performance (of a performance) had me utterly gripped for the few minutes the section lasted.
William G

Well-acted, feels plenty real, but is emotionally inert.
Christopher B

My least favourite Haneke film, but still very good. A great description I've heard is "Crash for adults".