--- title: "The White Ribbon: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-white-ribbon/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-white-ribbon" critics_score: 83 critics_reviews: 17 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The White Ribbon (2009): what the critics said Critics' score 83 from 17 reviews: 14 positive, 3 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics respond warmly to The White Ribbon, praising Haneke’s control of a disturbing portrait of cruelty and authority in a German village before the First World War. Praise clusters around the black-and-white cinematography, detailed period reconstruction and performances, particularly those of the children. The reviews find the connections between adult repression and childhood behaviour unsettling and thought-provoking. Several also welcome the tenderness of the schoolteacher’s courtship, which offers some relief from the surrounding cruelty. The reservations concern pace, bleakness and how much the unresolved mysteries give the audience to work with. Variety admires the craft but finds the film difficult to embrace because of its emphasis on human malice. The Hollywood Reporter praises its moral rigour while suggesting that the stately pace and restrained staging may limit its appeal. Enthusiasm varies considerably, though even the more qualified reviews find much to admire in the images and acting. ## Little White Lies — Jonathan Crocker Rating 4/5/5. 13 November 2009. The critic calls it one of the year's best films and potentially Haneke's masterpiece, noting its ambitious scope and accessibility. He singles out the director's control of form and the balance of menace with moments of sweetness in the schoolteacher's courtship. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-white-ribbon) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 4/4. 13 January 2010. The film presents a series of unexplained malicious incidents in a pre-WWI German village that erode the social order without a clear culprit. Ebert praises Haneke's ability to embed profound questions about evil, authority, and freedom in the daily lives of ordinary people through masterful black-and-white visuals. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-white-ribbon-2010) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Rating 5/5. 10 November 2009. The critic deems it a masterpiece and Haneke's least aggressive, most mature film, praising its sombre exploration of repression linking home and community. He singles out the faithful historical reconstruction and superb performances. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-white-ribbon) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Rating A. 30 December 2009. Haneke's film inquires into the roots of evil through a deliberately paced, unnerving portrait of a German village before WWI. It shows how violence and hypocrisy spread from adults to the next generation without offering comfort in nostalgia. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-white-ribbon-1798207660) ## Slant Magazine — Fernando F. Croce Rating 3.5/4. 27 September 2009. Festival review. The review praises Haneke's masterful yet rigid depiction of oppressive village life and the seeds of fascism through mysterious crimes and generational contamination. It singles out the filmmaker's rare respect for characters and flicker of humanism amid the dour worldview. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-white-ribbon/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 22 May 2009. Festival review. The critic praises Haneke's artistry and control in this meticulously constructed tapestry of malice in a pre-WWI village. He singles out the rich detail, unerring modulation, and warm central character as boosting its arthouse prospects. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/the-white-ribbon-/5001529.article) ## Empire — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 26 October 2009. The critic calls it Haneke's finest yet and a hypnotic, immersive experience that feels like a disturbing daydream rather than a conventional film. It singles out the incredible antique-postcard visuals and the way the film accumulates power through its questions about violence and society. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/white-ribbon-review/) ## Sight and Sound — Catherine Wheatley Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 December 2009. The critic highlights unexpected tenderness in the film's depiction of relationships amid cruelty and repression in a pre-WWI German village. She praises Haneke's shift toward a more even-paced, less aggressive style that incorporates elements of goodness and love. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/49581) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 December 2009. Haneke's chronicle of patriarchal abuses and mysterious cruelties in a rural German village on the eve of World War I leaves the viewer with a haunting sense of recognition amid the distance of the past. The review highlights the film's cerebral dread and the contrast between the teacher's benign narration and the surrounding authoritarianism. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/30/movies/30white.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Betsy Sharkey Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 30 December 2009. The film is a tense, provocative parable examining how childhood experiences of fear, guilt, and retribution in a strict Protestant village may sow the seeds of later extremism. Sharkey singles out the black-and-white cinematography and the performances of the children as key to its eerie power. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-dec-30-la-et-white-ribbon30-2009dec30-story.html) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 20 May 2009. Festival review. Haneke's meticulously crafted black-and-white film about mysterious misfortunes in a pre-WWI German village is absorbing but difficult to embrace due to its bleak worldview. McCarthy praises the superb craft contributions, especially the production design and cinematography, while noting the story's focus on malice as a dominant human trait. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/the-white-ribbon-1200474755/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 12 November 2009. A superb and disturbing film whose vision of pre-First World War Germany offers no easy answers. Haneke achieves new mastery and audacity with chilling brilliance, icy exactitude and a technical finish that contrasts with its open-ended status as a historical parable. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/nov/12/the-white-ribbon-review) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Peter Brunette 21 May 2009. Festival review. The critic calls it a superb cinematic work with an uncompromising moral point of view and rigorous black-and-white compositions. The stately pace and de-dramatized scenes may limit broader appeal. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/white-ribbon-film-review-93209/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating A. 11 February 2010. The critic praises the film's deep subtext, hypnotic direction, and gorgeous black-and-white cinematography, calling it a fantastic, multi-layered intellectual experience that offers no easy answers. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-white-ribbon-review/) ## Eye for Film — Leanne McGrath Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 23 March 2010. The critic finds it tough but engaging and thought-provoking, praising its technical achievements and stunning black-and-white cinematography reminiscent of Bergman. They single out the superb acting, especially by the child performers, and the film's exploration of authoritarianism. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-white-ribbon-film-review-by-leanne-mcgrath) ## The Playlist — Kimber Myers Rating B+. 18 December 2009. Describes it as an effective but disturbing experience of discomfort and destruction, admiring Haneke's technical prowess and ability to unsettle the audience, while noting the division among critics and the film's bleak nature. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/michael-hanekes-palm-dor-winning-white-20091218/) ## Paste — Tim Basham Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 26 January 2010. The review highlights the film's darker take on a whodunit set in pre-WWI Germany, praising the brilliant cinematography and intense performances while noting it leaves questions unanswered but provides tools for exploration. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/michael-haneke/the-white-ribbon-das-weisse-band-review) ## HeyUGuys — Barry Steele Rating 3/5. 11 November 2009. Praises the outstanding performances, particularly by the children, and the sensitive handling of dark themes, while noting it's a fine, relevant film with a sweet love story subplot. Complains mildly about pacing and some CGI. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/review-the-white-ribbon-das-weisse-band/) ## The Skinny — Jenny Munro Rating ★★★. 13 November 2009. The critic describes the film as a demanding, complex thriller that expertly manipulates the audience's desire to uncover the perpetrators of violent crimes in a rural German community. They single out the starkly beautiful monochrome cinematography and the astonishing performances by the child actors as standout elements that make the experience lingering and deeply affecting. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-white-ribbon) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-white-ribbon.md