Béla Tarr’s debut film is a great beginning for one of the most important careers in cinema. From this first work we can appreciate his command of black and white and his passion for telling sad stories set in almost lifeless places. Although he hasn’t yet reached that apocalyptic style that fascinates me so much, the foundations of it can already be seen. I’m not sure what happened between this film and Macbeth because Macbeth feels like a step backward in certain aspects, except for the camera work.
The film tells the story of a family’s destruction and how their love slowly deteriorates due to circumstances beyond their control. They are living through a sociopolitical change in the country, as Hungary was going through an economic crisis, a very significant slowdown. The story itself may not be real, but the events we see reflect things that sadly happened in those years. That authenticity feels reinforced because the actors are not professionals; their performances feel genuine, not so much because of acting skill but because they are already familiar with the reality the film portrays.
A solid debut from Béla Tarr and an unmissable work for fans of his filmography. I highly recommend it, though his signature style is not yet fully present. Don’t be disappointed like I was.
Thank you for reading and may God bless you.
79/100
Béla Tarr’s debut film is a great beginning for one of the most important careers in cinema. From this first work we can appreciate his command of black and white and his passion for telling sad stories set in almost lifeless places. Although he hasn’t yet reached that apocalyptic style that fascinates me so much, the foundations of it can already be seen. I’m not sure what happened between this film and Macbeth because Macbeth feels like a step backward in certain aspects, except for the camera work.
The film tells the story of a family’s destruction and how their love slowly deteriorates due to circumstances beyond their control. They are living through a sociopolitical change in the country, as Hungary was going through an economic crisis, a very significant slowdown. The story itself may not be real, but the events we see reflect things that sadly happened in those years. That authenticity feels reinforced because the actors are not professionals; their performances feel genuine, not so much because of acting skill but because they are already familiar with the reality the film portrays.
A solid debut from Béla Tarr and an unmissable work for fans of his filmography. I highly recommend it, though his signature style is not yet fully present. Don’t be disappointed like I was.
Thank you for reading and may God bless you.
79/100
