A Film by Michael Haneke

On a busy street in the stark light of day in Paris, a young man ruthlessly belittles a beggar-woman by throwing rubbish into her pleading, outstretched hands. This is the brief occurence that propels and links several very different characters which include Anne (Juliette Binoche), an actress who is in the final throes of her relationship with war photographer Georges; his farmer father and brother Jean, who, contrary to his father's wishes, has no intention of inheriting the farm; Amadou, a music teacher for deaf-mute children, and his family who originate from Africa; and Maria, a Romanian immigrant.
From one of cinema's most ambitious, distinctive and polarising artists, Michael Haneke, comes this complex tale that is a fascinating study of the subtle connections and barriers between people, class, race and the difficulty of communicating in the modern world.