Tag: hungary

We’ll go mad in the end. “Sátántangó” (1994)

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directed by Béla Tarr
© 1994 Arbelos Films. All Rights Reserved.

I learnt about Béla Tarr when I was studying Film at university and I promised myself back then that I’ll watch “Sátántangó” when the director dies. Why? Because the idea of watching an over 7-hour-long Hungarian drama didn’t sound like something I was ready to do. So I decided to postpone it… until now. Tarr has left us and it’s the perfect moment to appreciate him by writing about his most popular production. Just to make it clear – I did watch it. I kept my promise! Since it’s over 7 hours long, I needed to divide it into parts, because I needed to eat, pee and walk a bit not to end up with legs paresis. If you’re a superhero (or a maniac) who actually managed to watch it in one go, I sincerely admire you. You probably watched it in the toilet with a mini-fridge next to you, but still – impressive! And if you’re also as scared of the length of this film as I was, let me say that you have the right to feel this way. It’s not a pleasant romcom and you really need to have a lot of motivation to press play. But, damn, it’s a great production. Shortly about the plot, it’s based on the book of the same title by László Krasznahorkai (awarded a Nobel prize in 2025). We follow Irimiás (Mihály Víg), an impostor, who shows up in a poor Hungarian village. The people living there are absolutely hopeless and have no idea what to do with their lives. They consider Irimiás a saviour that may help them and show the right path. The man decides to use their innocence and naivety to gain something for himself. In the film, we observe the life in the village from different perspectives, in a non-chronological order, yet everything’s in the same tiring slow pace. After two hours you might start to feel frustrated how phlegmatic the film is, but closer to the end, you may actually appreciate it. Why? Because that’s the point. Well, it’s just my opinion, of course, but the reason why Tarr decided to make it so incredibly long is probably to exhaust the audience and make us experience the destructive helplessness of those villagers. If the film had been 2 hours long, this message wouldn’t hit with the same intensity. For example, there’s this one dancing scene that lasts for about 10 minutes. And you know what happens there? Nothing. You watch people dancing for 10 minutes. The camera doesn’t move and they are just dancing. Those long shots really make you question everything. And I agree that it’s one of those films that you must see before you die. The reason why I’m not rating it 10/10 is because of maltreating a cat while shooting (you will see). The crew said that they took care of the cat, but in my opinion it’s still an unnecessary element of the film. I’ll never support torturing animals for the sake of art. Period. However, the film in general is exhausting, yet magnificent. I can’t even imagine how much work and effort they put into creating it. I bet Krasznahorkai couldn’t be prouder for such an adaptation of his book. To end with a fun fact, in order to look natural during drinking scenes, the actors were actually drunk, which isn’t healthy, but at least you cannot say they weren’t realistic. What can I say? Rest in peace, Mr. Tarr.

My rating: 8/10
S.

I know nothing. “Explanation for Everything” (“Magyarázat mindenre”, 2023)

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directed by Gábor Reisz
© 2023 Cirko Film. All Rights Reserved.

We’re used to being played by politics and politicians, no matter which country we come from. However, today I’ll show you a story where a young boy accidentally plays with politics in order to save himself, yet it leads to serious consequences. We get to know Ábel (Gáspár Adonyi-Walsh), a high school student who’s about to have his final exams soon. Unfortunately, the boy is not doing well with studying, so he predicts his failure. There’s a sub-plot added that he’s in love with this one girl, but to me it’s quite pointless. Sorry for my honesty. Ábel isn’t only distracted by the girl – he’s actually struggling with education. Perhaps he hasn’t got enough help or certain subjects are just not his cup of tea. Anyway, the exam day comes and, as you might be guessing, Ábel doesn’t pass it. When his father finds out about it, he gets furious, so in order to explain himself, Ábel suggests that he was failed because of political reasons. You see, during the exam, the boy had a nationalist ribbon attached to his suit, which he’d simply forgot to take off. One of the teachers saw it and asked about it, which the boy mentions during the conversation with his father. Since the examiner is more liberal in his political views, Ábel’s father, a nationalist, takes it as a proof that his son was failed purely because of that little pin. And the drama begins… I’ve seen some short descriptions of this film saying it’s about a boy who’s in love with a girl. I swear, some people seriously don’t watch anything before reviewing it. This is far from being a teenage romcom, so I’m sorry to disappoint you if you’re looking for one. This film presents the never-ending political battle between people that is not only present in Hungary, but basically all over the world. It’s not just a battle that politicians take part in. We’re all involved and often it’s the politics that make decisions for us. Here, we have an example of a boy who failed an exam because he just had limited knowledge, but still, even accidentally, politics got involved in it. So, in my opinion, this film is not even about that boy or education. It’s about politics taking over all parts of our lives. And since this is not a peaceful topic, we let it control us and keep us frustrated all the time. It may lead us to hatred towards other people simply because of different views. Even if we don’t need to have common views in our relations. Do you ask the baker which party they vote for before buying bread? I hope not. This film presents ridiculousness of bringing politics into our life and it does it well. Although I agree that it could have been a short film, because the idea itself is strong enough to hit the viewer, no need to prolong it. Still, a production worth your time.

My rating: 7/10
S.

This is awfully good. “Another Way” (“Egymásra nézve”, 1982)

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directed by Károly Makk
© 1982 Mafilm Dialog Filmstudio. All Rights Reserved.

Recently, we’ve lost a wonderful actress – Jadwiga Jankowska-Cieślak. Perhaps most of my readers don’t recognise this name because she didn’t have a chance to become known worldwide, but it’s a story I’ll get back to later in this post. She was a Polish actress who played both in films and theatre plays. Once, I had a chance to see her on stage and I consider myself lucky. In fact, I was about to see her in another theatre play this month, but it’s cancelled, due to obvious reasons… It’s terrifying how one day you may be just fine, having plans and such, and then… poof. However, in order to pay my respect to Jadwiga and also introduce you to her as an actress, I’d like to recommend you this Hungarian film. Yes, a Hungarian film with Polish actresses. How come? We’ll get to that as well. First, let me tell you about the plot. We’re moving back to the 50s, right after the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Two women, Éva and Lívia (Jadwiga Jankowska-Cieślak & Grażyna Szapołowska), meet at a newspaper editorial office. Lívia has been working there for some time and she’s also an officer’s wife. Éva is a new employee and she’s very much against the current political situation in the country. As you can guess, the story focuses on the revolution and the life of Hungarians at that time from the perspective of journalists, but not only… In fact, it’s also the first Eastern-European film that presents the topic of a female homosexual relation. Like I said, Lívia is married to a man, but there’s some special chemistry between her and Éva, so the women start experimenting with their feelings. And the rest is for you to see yourselves. Let’s answer some questions, shall we? First – why two Polish actresses played Hungarian women in a Hungarian film? Apparently, no Hungarian actress was willing to play a role of a woman experiencing with her sexuality in such direction. But also, the director himself wasn’t interested in engaging any local actresses. Back to Poland, Jadwiga had to deal with some consequences after playing in this film. The authorities even dismissed the director of the theatre where Jadwiga was working, which resulted in many actors losing their jobs, including Jadwiga. However, she was praised for her role in Cannes and by many homosexual women back then. And now the answer to the next question – why wasn’t she known more abroad? After “Another Way” she received numerous offers from foreign producers, but the institution that was managing the contacts between Polish actors and any companies abroad kept all those offers in secret. All that because our authorities were disgusted by her performance and didn’t want her to benefit from it. If only Jadwiga had been born a bit later and played in such film today, she would be an icon recognised by many. That is why I hope you’ll decide to see this film and learn about her. She deserves appreciation, even after all these years. Rest in peace, Jadźka (that’s how the actress liked being called according to the people who worked with her).

My rating: 7/10
S.

Just usual misery. “Fairy Garden” (2023)

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directed by Gergö Somogyvári
© 2023 Avanpost. All Rights Reserved.

When I read a short description about this documentary, I immediately knew I’d like it. Even if it’d been badly made, I’d still appreciate the crew for putting a spotlight on such social issue. Luckily, the film’s quality is nothing to worry about and I’m pretty sure what you’re about see will open your eyes. Perhaps not in the most pleasant way, but it will. We’re going to Hungary where we meet two people: Laci and Fanni. Laci is a man in his 60s living in a forest. Since he’s struggling with homelessness and men like him aren’t welcome in cities and towns, he decided to literally build his own world far away from those who reject him. Except taking care of his own life, he happens to be a guardian angel to Fanni, a 19-year-old teenager. Although Fanni was born as a boy, he identifies as a girl, therefore she (I will be using female pronouns speaking about Fanni from now on) decided to change her gender. We know that Fanni is taking hormones and she’s been kicked out of her family house as her parents do not approve of the girl’s behaviour and actions. She’s been hospitalised numerous times, mostly due to her mental problems and once she ran away to accidentally find Laci. The man, despite his age and life situation, helped the teenager and since then they’ve been creating this unusual kind of family. Before you think about something inappropriate, let me just assure you that there’s nothing between those two except friendship. Besides, Fanni is a lesbian and Laci doesn’t see her as a potential sexual partner – he’s rather in a role of a father that tries to protect the girl. But if you had this disturbing thought in mind, I don’t judge you, because I did as well before watching the film. I mean, it’s quite common to observe pathological relations among the poor and marginalised. And I guess the fact that those two share a genuine friendship makes the whole story even more touching. First, I’m thankful to the crew for making such documentary. I believe it wouldn’t be easy for most filmmakers, and here we’re taking about Hungary, where the political leaders aren’t much supportive of anything that’s “different” from their own created reality. I don’t want to get too much into politics, but you have to know that LGBT+ people aren’t accepted by the country’s authorities. Neither are the homeless, but I guess that’s common in most countries. In the end, these are people who need a lot of support and it’s not the most convenient thing for politicians, right? I’m being slightly ironic here, but if you haven’t caught that, let me clarify that I do not support any hate towards anyone, no matter if it’s connected to their sexual preferences, identity or economical situation. And I do believe that we should pay more attention to people in need. However, except this frustration I had watching the film (due to helplessness), I also felt comforted. Even though I saw that Laci would really need a proper house and Fanni’s mental health should definitely be taken care of (the girl has been having a lot of dark thoughts, if you know what I mean), it’s incredibly moving that those two rejected and forgotten people still have enough empathy left to support each other. You may think that it’s mostly Laci helping Fanni, but I also feel like Fanni is giving the man some kind of purpose in life. The fact that he’s literally saving her gives him the feeling of fulfilment. At least that’s how I see it. If I may finish this post with some appeal, I’d like to invite you to support someone in need in the upcoming days. Personally, I support one organisation that helps the homeless in my country and I donate prime necessity items such as clothes, hygiene products or food. I’m sure there’s such organisation in your city/country as well. Maybe this documentary and my post will encourage you to take such step.

My rating: 7/10
S.

It’s so lovely to fly. “Merry-Go-Round” (“Körhinta”, 1956)

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directed by Zoltán Fábri
© 1956 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. All Rights Reserved.

How do you feel about going back to the 50s and hearing some Hungarian language? I mean, why not? After the films I’d seen recently, I was in need of watching an actual love story that doesn’t make me drink those extra glasses of wine while staring at a wall. So, we finally get a cute couple, Mari and Máté (Mari Törőcsik & Imre Soós). Those two are young and visibly in love with each other. If you want some adorable pictures like staring into each other’s eyes and dancing in each other’s arms – that’s the kind of relation you’ll see here. However, to make things difficult, the lovebirds cannot really be together because Mari’s father has other plans for her. He wishes his daughter to marry Sándor (Ádám Szirtes), an older man who’s definitely not Mari’s type, but the thing is… he’s the owner of the land that István (Béla Barsi), Mari’s father, wants to get his hands on. Since Mari’s family are simple farmers, they don’t bother to think about such trivial things like love – they need land, they do everything to get land. Period. But Máté doesn’t give up and does everything to win Mari’s heart. Or I should rather say convince István to let them be together, because you can tell her heart has already chosen. Simple story, simple idea, the kind of scenario that you’ve seen numerous times. So why should you see it? First, you can take a break from the modern cinema that is much different, so perhaps getting back to the 50s will give you a fresh experience, paradoxically. Second, even though it was made about 70 years ago, I was fascinated by the camerawork, because it’s not only pleasant, but also quite innovative (especially pay attention to the scenes with the carousel). Third, despite a very common type of story, I didn’t feel bored or tired – quite the opposite, that simplicity was very enjoyable. I guess it’s because of the form that the filmmakers chose and the chemistry between the actors, not only the lovebirds. I had a good time watching this film and it’s the kind of love story that makes you admire our ancestors. I mean, Mari’s story isn’t anyhow original – a lot of people were getting married for the sake of economical reasons back then. Of course, you may say that people marry for money nowadays as well, but I feel like today we have something they didn’t have before – we have a choice. It’s up to us what we prioritise. So you know, next time you feel bad about that person who left you on “seen” and their effort ends with a like of your photo on social media, remember Máté telling Mari that “he could only die without her”. Standards, darlings, standards. It’s spring so I wish you fewer disappointments and more amusement park’s dates.

My rating: 7/10
S.

It’s harder for us. “Those Who Remained” (“Akik maradtak”, 2019)

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directed by Barnabás Tóth
© 2019 Budapest Film. All Rights Reserved.

Recently I had a chance to take part in an online Hungarian film festival, where I saw several quite interesting productions. I have to admit that Hungarian dramatic cinema has its charm and I’ll be happy to discover more in the future. But for now I’d like to recommend my favourite one from the festival – “Those Who Remained”. It was representing Hungary for the Academy Awards in 2020, but didn’t quality to the big five. This is a story of a teenage girl who’s living in Budapest right after the end of World War II. Klára (Abigél Szõke) ended up being an orphan, but very strongly resisting the fact. She keeps believing that her parents are fine and will get back home one day. In the meantime, she meets a local doctor, Aladár (Károly Hajduk), who agrees to welcome the girl in his flat and become her caretaker. If you think that it’s a dirty story about a toxic relationship between a man and an underage girl, then you’re wrong. It’s actually a very heart-warming picture presenting two lonely people, who’ve decided to be there for each other. I know that it’s a story based in postwar Budapest, but this connection between two humans could have happened and could happen anywhere. The film reminds us how important being supported is. Even if the support is only the presence of someone else. I was amazed by this drama and if you like calm, yet thought-provoking stories, then it’s definitely for you.

My rating: 7/10
S.

In this profession it helps if your mind’s a little sick. “Kills on Wheels” (“Tiszta szívvel”, 2016)

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directed by Attila Till
© 2016 Laokoon Filmgroup. All Rights Reserved.

I love films showing how much we underestimate the disabled. If you’re disabled, you can’t do sports? Of course you can! If you’re disabled, you can’t find love? Of course you can! If you’re disabled, you can’t kill people and get away with it? Of course you can! (actually, you shouldn’t, but that’s just an introduction to the film, so please, don’t take it seriously) Today, I’ve got an interesting story for you coming from Hungary. The main characters are three men, each of them with a different background and personality, but all having one thing in common – the wheelchair. Rupaszov (Szabolcs Thuróczy) is a hitman, who uses his disability to compete certain tasks unnoticed. I mean, let’s face it, who would suspect a man in a wheelchair to be the murderer. I guess we all know the answer to this one. Anyway, one day he meets two young men, Zolika (Zoltán Fenyvesi) and Barba Papa (Ádám Fekete), who are also struggling with their disabilities and both searching for the reason to live. They feel useless and don’t want to be seen as people that need constant help from others. That is why those three men team up and start doing dirty work together. And here are some thoughts I have about the film… At first it was very good, I liked how they introduced us to the characters, how the story was going, but then at the end I felt like the editor had wanted to finish earlier, so he shortened the ending by a half. And, generally, the editing isn’t the best in this one (I’m sorry). However, the camerawork – that’s something worth pointing out. Besides, as I said at the beginning, I like films with show how we underestimate people with disabilities, and even though it’s a comedy and the main characters are working for the mafia, it’s still a small step forward to opening our eyes. So in the end, I’m saying “yes” to this film.

My rating: 6/10
S.