The Seventh Continent is a 1989 Austrian film directed by Michael Haneke. The film follows a middle-class family in Vienna, consisting of Georg, his wife Anna, and their daughter Eva, over the span of three years. The family appears content with their mundane routines and minor incidents, such as failed attempts to sell their car or difficulties with their kitchen appliances.
However, as the film progresses, it becomes clear that the family is planning a shocking and tragic event. They systematically destroy their possessions, withdraw all their money from the bank, and systematically remove all traces of their existence in preparation for their own deaths.
The film culminates in a harrowing final scene, where the family sits silently in their living room as they slowly die from carbon monoxide poisoning. The Seventh Continent is a chilling exploration of the hidden despair and malaise that can underlie even seemingly content lives, and the devastating consequences of unaddressed psychological pain.
