You mustn't lie. Is that clear? You can't afford to: Questions of Morality: A Sun vs Benny's Video.

I have been thinking a lot about the films of Austrian director Michael Haneke. I have made notes on these thoughts and I’m sure they will find their way onto the blog, but, for now, I am thinking about him in another way.

A few months ago, I watched Mong-Hong Chung’s A Sun, originally titled Yangguang puzhao. Maybe it was because I had Haneke on the brain, but I started to think about the comparisons between A Sun and Haneke’s 1992 breakthrough film Benny’s Video. I feel that they both raise the same moral questions, have similar approaches to style and theme, and even narratively relate to each other. In both films, fathers do something immoral and illegal to help and protect their child. Yet each film respectively makes the viewer feel completely differently. So I was left with a question: why? I will explore this question here.

Michael Haneke is definitely not everybody’s cup of tea. I would not recommend a Haneke classic for those uncomfortable with graphic violence. At times, I’m not even sure if I am a fan of his work, but when you understand the questions and discussion he is trying to provoke with his films and where these thoughts come from, his work is admirable.

Haneke’s style goes against immersive film making. His camera remains distant, time elapses in unusual patterns and he shoots in public spaces and in minimalistic and recognisable locations. All of these techniques are forcing you to choose where to look. He doesn’t give you all of the information you feel you need as a viewer and encourages you to fill in the gaps for yourself. I have mentioned violence; it is probably the most talked-about characteristic of Haneke’s work because of how graphic it can be and how he chooses to show it. He aims to shock you with a violent act, as this is the most ethical way of showing violence; he believes it can’t be overused. You can’t allow your viewer to become used to and desensitised to the violence. This method is what causes us to pause and reflect on what we see. This leads to us questioning it.

His themes are serious and his characters walk around with a visible emptiness. His work also shows tension between culture and violence. This comes from Haneke’s concern with empathy. He could not understand how World War Two's atrocities could have come from such a cultured place as Europe. The Nazis were some of the most cultured people, yet committed the most brutal and violent acts in human history. Haneke was concerned with not only how this happened, but also who let it happen. Who gained from the war or in the post-war era? In Benny’s Video, he explores the lengths to which people who gained from our dark history will go to maintain their affluent life.

Mong-Hong Chung may not be coming from the same place as Haneke or basing his work on some of the most complex questions our history has left us with, but there are some surprising similarities between these films.

Mong-Hong Chung is more well known as a cinematographer; this is visible in A Sun’s stunning cinematography and beautiful filmic style. I don’t believe this film is attempting to critique immersive film styles as Haneke is, but its style is similar, yet provokes a different response. A Sun's cinematic style changes throughout. There is animation, sharp short cuts like a thriller, long shots filmed from a distance and shots depicting an inner feeling rather than the character's reality. At other times, the camera is unbearably close, often at difficult emotional moments. All of these techniques, unlike immersive cinematic styles, make you aware you're watching a film. These techniques, as well as the film's narrative, do not provide you with all of the answers and encourage you to stop, think and find them.

One of the most noticeable aspects of A Sun is the emptiness each character is carrying around with them. The family is disjointed because of each member's desolation. This may be an odd way to say this, but this film gives a wonderful depiction of mental illness. Often it is described as darkness, but in this film, it’s a blazing sun, impossible to escape from. The complexities of depression and sadness create many questions; many go unanswered. As in real life, the film does not provide the viewer with the answer; we, like many families, must live not knowing. Like in Haneke’s work, A Sun does not overuse violence. It shows only what is necessary, but the violence is not diminished. It is brutal and difficult to watch.

With such similarities in theme, narrative, character, and style, why do both fathers' unethical and immoral actions feel so different? Both are trying to protect their children. Haneke is asking at what moral cost? Chung is asking if perhaps morality can take a back seat for a greater cause? Haneke is asking what happens when we lose our empathy and how this can have devastating consequences. Chung creates empathy in the viewer. Chung is almost challenging the questions Haneke is asking. Perhaps empathy and morality do not always have to be connected.

Class may be the determining factor in why the same act in each film feels so different. The children of the upper classes are already miles ahead of everyone below them. Their privileges make them difficult to sympathise with. In A Sun you're watching a struggling working-class family work hard and attempt to make a better life for their children. You see their humanity, and you're rooting for them. I suppose this means you want them to succeed at all costs. In Benny’s Video, you don’t want success to make an individual above the law.

Another reason for the humanity and empathy we feel in A Sun is because of the father, A-Wen. At first, I saw his behaviours and attitudes as harsh, but now I understand them as a wish to instil a good character in his children. He wants them to have a good work ethic, a strong moral compass and a better life for themselves. The early reparations made for a mistake pave the way for a greater one to be carried out, so the greater crime feels justified. You pay what you owe, serve your time and should be entitled to a new life with the same chances as everyone else. When this doesn’t happen sometimes, you may have to break the very rules you abided by.

In Benny’s Video, a son betrays his parents and ends up teaching them a lesson greater than any of the ones he was taught. In A Sun, a father's hardness, stern beliefs and dedication begin to mend a broken family.

Earlier, I spoke about A Sun’s wonderful depiction of mental illness, so I will leave you with my favourite quote from the film. Enjoy.

"I also wished, just like those animals, that I could hide in the shade. But looking all around me, it wasn't just the animals that could hide in the shade, but you, my brother, even Sima Guang. You could all find dark corners with shade, but I couldn't. I had no water tanks, no hiding place, but only sunlight, 24 hours, uninterrupted, radiant and warm, shining on all things."