Page - 47 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 04/01

Punishment and Crime | 47www.jrfm.eu 2018, 4/1, 47–61 Gerwin van der Pol Punishment and Crime The Reverse Order of Causality in The White Ribbon ABSTRACT This article explores, within a sociological-psychological framework, the problematic moral emotions of spectators evoked by watching the film Das weisse Band (The White Ribbon, Michael Haneke, DE/AT/FR/IT 2009). As always in Michael Haneke’s films, the spectator’s moral system is severely put to the test upon watching the unim- aginable actions people are capable of. At first sight the atrocities shown that remain unpunished seem to cause the spectator’s distress. The real horror, however, lies in the fact the evil occurs within the boundaries of a religious society that hails itself as good and just. The word of God as a moral guide becomes ineffective in this film, and also in Dogville (Lars von Trier, NL/DK/GB/FR/FI/SE/DE/ IT/NO 2003), a film used as comparison. Both films exemplify that in the end the most difficult conclusion to pro- cess by the spectator is that the worst crime is feeling morally superior and teaching others how to behave. In The White Ribbon this teaching is projected as the punish- ment that causes the crimes. KEYWORDS The White Ribbon, belief systems, spectatorship, psychology, Dogville BIOGRAPHY Gerwin van der Pol is lecturer in the Department of Media Studies at the University of Amsterdam. His academic work explores the psychology of spectators of film. He has published essays on subjects ranging from character engagement to film aesthet- ics. He is interested in the history, aesthetics and authors of European art film. WATCHING AND UNDERSTANDING THE WHITE RIBBON The White Ribbon is a haunting story of the feudal village of Eichwald, set in 1913, in which the villagers are repeatedly alarmed by serious attacks on mem- bers of the community. The spectator is in constant suspense about who will be next, and although the arbitrariness of the incidents is troublesome, the realisa- DOI: 10.25364/05.4:2018.1.4