Haneke’s Caché: A double-edged narrative of remembrance

Abstract

The police raids of 17 October 1961 in Paris mark a dark chapter in France’s recent history. Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke is not the first to choose this episode of violent repression as the subject of a fictional work. In Caché, the collective memory of October 17th is closely intertwined with the individual memory of the main character. Furthermore, this process of remembrance is embedded within a broader reflection on the representation of reality in cinema. To clarify how Haneke addresses collective memory, I will briefly explore the history of remembrance surrounding October 17th in France. I conclude that Caché does not so much represent the events of October 17th 1961, as it shifts them into the present – serving as a powerful critique of postcolonial society.