Over the past two-and-a-half decades, director Michael Haneke has established himself as a towering figure in modern cinema. This career-spanning documentary charts the Austrian auteur’s body of work in reverse chronological order, from the recent Oscar®-winning film Amour through his feature debut, The Seventh Continent, to present a fascinating investigation into the mind of a consummate professional at work.

With unprecedented access to the filmmaker and his work on set, director Yves Montmayeur—who has shot several making-of features for Haneke—illuminates the works of the artist on his own terms and sheds light on the sacred intimacy of his creative process. Through behind-the-scenes footage of Haneke’s hands-on and surprisingly playful directing style, analysis of scenes from films across his oeuvre and interviews with frequent collaborators including Emmanuelle Riva, Isabelle Huppert and Juliette Binoche, a portrait emerges of the man whose rigorous focus on the craft of filmmaking has produced works of profound artistry.

—Ian Hollander