We’re clocking on four years since Michael Haneke tore our hearts out with "Amour," and aside from helming an opera performance for television broadcast, all has been quiet in terms of a new film from the director. Over the summer, we learned the director had dropped his long-developing "Flashmob" and was working on a new France-set movie. Details at that time were scarce, but cinephiles have a holiday-season treat as much more has been revealed about what Haneke is brewing next.
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French media reports that Haneke is reteaming with Isabelle Huppert ("Amour," "Time Of The Wolf," "The Piano Teacher") and Jean-Louis Trintignant ("Amour") for "Happy End." Naturally, exact details are being kept under wraps, but production will take place this spring in Calais, and while the story will involve the migrant crisis in Europe, producers stress it is only an element of the plot, not the narrative focus. Still, it’s intriguing to see the filmmaker tackle a topic that is very much of the moment (it should be noted he’s been public about his support for Europe welcoming those displaced from other countries), but don’t expect anything as direct as Aki Kaurismaki‘s upcoming "Refugee."
No release dates yet, but might as well slot this for Cannes 2017, and hopefully more news will arrive as filming draws closer. [Challenges]