| Director | Michael Haneke |
|---|---|
| Budget | €8 million |
| Box office | $16.2 million |
Affluent Parisian couple Anne and Georges Laurent discover a videotape on their stoop which shows hours of footage of their residence, implying they are under surveillance. They debate its origin and purpose, considering whether it is a practical joke from friends of their 12-year-old son, Pierrot, or the work of fans of Georges, who hosts a literary talk show. A second tape arrives, accompanied by a childlike drawing of a person with blood streaming out of his mouth. Similar drawings are mailed to Georges' workplace and Pierrot's school. Disturbed, the Laurents turn to the police, who do not consider the tapes and drawings criminal activities.
Another videotape, with a drawing of a chicken bleeding at its neck, is delivered amidst a dinner party hosted by the Laurents. As Anne discloses the incidents to their friends, Georges plays the tape, which shows the estate where he grew up.
Georges begins to have vivid dreams about Majid, a boy he knew in childhood. Majid's Algerian parents worked on Georges' family estate but disappeared in the Paris massacre of 1961. Georges' parents intended to adopt Majid, but the process was never finalised. Suspecting Majid might be responsible for the tapes, Georges visits his ailing mother, who surprisingly professes not to remember Majid well.
The Laurents receive another tape showing a low-income housing apartment. Georges tells Anne he has a suspect in mind, but will not say who until he can confirm his suspicion. Anne is shocked by the perceived lack of trust.
Following the clues in the tape, Georges locates the apartment off Avenue Lénine in Romainville, where Majid lives. Majid denies knowledge of the tapes or drawing, but the suspicious Georges threatens him. A hidden camera recorded the conversation with Majid, who breaks down crying after Georges leaves, and tapes of the encounter are sent to Anne and Georges' employer.
Georges explains to Anne that he was six when he learned of his parents' plan to adopt Majid. Disliking the plan, he told lies about Majid, who was sent away. When Pierrot disappears, the Laurents frantically contact the police, who check Majid's apartment and arrest Majid and Majid's son, though they deny involvement in kidnapping. Pierrot returns to his family, having spent time with friends, and hints to Anne that he thinks she is too close to Pierre, a family friend.
Majid calls Georges and asks him to come back to the apartment. When Georges arrives, Majid denies having sent the tapes, says he wanted Georges present, and kills himself by slashing his throat. Georges confesses to Anne that as a boy, he had claimed Majid was coughing up blood and convinced Majid to kill the family's rooster, falsely claiming his father wanted him to. The police confirm the cause of death as suicide, but Majid's son appears at Georges' workplace to confront him. Believing the son is responsible for the tapes, Georges threatens him to cease surveillance, but the son replies he was not involved with the tapes and wanted to know how Georges felt about being responsible for a death. Later, Majid's son converses with Pierrot after school.