The film Cache directed by Michael Haneke follows Georges Laurent and his wife, Anne, who are being terrorized by a mysterious individual sending them tapes of Georges and their house accompanied by child-like drawings. The tapes soon show scenes that lead Georges to certain events from his childhood. One of the films shows Georges’s childhood home. This prompts him to go visit his mother. During his visit, he asks his mother if she remembers the young boy named Maji that the family almost adopted. He is surprised by his mother’s lack of memory. He states that it was a big deal at the time, and questions why she does not recount him more clearly. She states she doesn’t think of him, and chooses not to since it was not a happy memory. Georges begins to have nightmares from his youth with Maji and connections are illustrated between Maji and the drawings that Georges has been receiving. The next tape sent to Georges’s house is a shot of a street and leads down a hallway and stops in front of an apartment door. Georges takes this as an instruction to go to the apartment. When he does, he learns that it is Maji’s house. He accuses Maji of sending him the tapes, and threatens him if he does not stop. However, Maji is adamant that he does not know anything about the tapes and has not sent Georges anything. The next tape is the conversation that Georges and Maji had in his apartment, and after Georges leaves, the tape records Maji crying. While the viewer is suspicious that a tape was recorded in Maji’s house, it is compelling to believe his innocence based on his distress after Georges leaves. Later in the film, Maji calls Georges back over to be present for his suicide.
The film does not resolve, and it is never revealed who was sending the tapes. This provokes many questions for the viewer after the film as to what the purpose of this may be. Haneke uses many subjective shots and long takes which place the viewer in the perspective of the characters and generates suspense. This communicates messages about voyeurism similar to Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window. Cache focuses on the discomfort of those who are surveyed making the viewer feel the fear, and frustration, of those subjected to being watched. This makes viewers feel uncomfortable with watching others because of the distress it causes. Rear Window, on the other hand, takes on the perspective of those watching others, and gives into the temptation to spy on people. This encourages viewers to analyze motives that people may have for watching others and how these reasons can impact their lives.
Intro to Film Studies 