Michael Haneke directs this Academy Award-winning drama exploring death, ageing and the fear of loss. Anne and George (Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant) are a couple in their 80s who are enjoying their retirement, but that changes when, after an operation following a stroke, Anne is left wheelchair-bound and paralysed. Although she expresses her wish to die, even going so far as to make an attempt at taking her own life, George tries to remind her of the beauty and worth of life itself and the love that they share for each other. The feature won the Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for Best Foreign Language Film, and received a BAFTA for Best Leading Actress (Riva).

In early twentieth century St Petersburg, pornographer Johann (Sergei Makovetskii) makes money selling photographs of blindfolded young women being spanked. His customers include Liza (Dinara Drukarova), daughter of engineer Radlov, who employs Johann's sister as his maid. Johann is also interested in twin sisters Kolia and Tolia, daughters of Dr Stasov and his blind wife Ekaterina Kirillovna. Although both Radlove and Dr Stasov resent Johann's intrusion into their daughters' lives, he connives to involve the women in his work, seeking to wed Liza while simultaneously planning to use Kolia and Tolia in pornographic films.