Variation

Berlin, the early eighties, five protagonists: Georg, a teacher, his wife Eva, her younger sister Sigrid (the three live together), Anna, with whom Georg starts an affair and the actress Kitty who lives with Anna. The relationship between Georg and Anna, a difficult one that veers between attraction and repulsion, disrupts the life of all five of them. The delicate equilibrium gets out of balance and conflicts soon get completely out of hand.The atmosphere in this drama about fear and jealousy is tense and potent. The indoor setting and the acting make this the most theatrical of Haneke's work. The role of Kitty is most dramatic; she reacts in a fury to the disruption of her relationship. This contrasts with the undercooled reaction ofEva. Sigrid is only indirectly involved in the action yet seems to suffer most: she falls into a state of deep melancholy and attempts suicide.