Le Temps du Loup (Michael Haneke, 2003)

A widowed and grieving parent wanders with her children through a landscape in rapid decline following an apocalyptic event of undisclosed nature, and isolated encounters with other survivors only underline how rapidly civilisation has broken down. Familiar? Yes, The Time of the Wolf is a largely unacknowledged source for the hyped-up The Road, with all the feral self-interest of those who remain, the parent's fierce instinct to protect her children and the inescapable atmosphere of hopelessness. But, for once, the plagiarism proves justified: Haneke's vision may tell it straight, but it's also lacking an empathetic core. Isabelle Huppert as the mother is her usual tight-lipped cold fish and the introduction of a host of other desperate victims just serves to further muddy whatever engagement there was with the protagonists.

5/10