On the surface, Michael Haneke's unsettling film is an edgy thriller about a TV presenter whose cosy life is turned upside-down by a mystery stalker. Dig deeper, however, and you'll find a probing exploration of France's colonial past that seems even more pertinent after its recent riots.
Georges (Daniel Auteuil) has it all: a lovely wife (Juliette Binoche), a smart 12-year-old son and a thriving career as the host of a popular discussion programme. He's got a great life - until someone starts plaguing him with videotapes of his home and crude drawings pointing to a secret buried in his past.
To reveal more would diminish the tension Haneke brilliantly sustains throughout his provocative tale, which raises issues of both personal and collective responsibility en route to a chillingly ambiguous conclusion.
