directed by Béla Tarr
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 have nothing to watch 