71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance
Michael Haneke, 1984, 99 min

“The simultaneously random and interconnected nature of modern existence comes into harrowing focus in the despairing final instalment of Michael Haneke’s trilogy. Seventy-one intricate, puzzlelike scenes survey the routines of a handful of seemingly unrelated people – including an undocumented Romanian boy living on the streets of Vienna, a couple who are desperate to adopt a child, and a college student on the edge – whose stories collide in a devastating encounter at a bank. The omnipresent drone of television news broadcasts in 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance underscores Haneke’s vision of a numb, dehumanizing world in which emotional estrangement can be punctured only by the shock of sudden violence.” – Janus Films

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Screening as part of our Close-Up on Michael Haneke