In the classic sense, Hollywood has been the capital of the film industry since the invention of the moving image. However, our region also produces a number of films every year that are not only successful in our country, but also, fortunately, win many of the most prestigious international awards. In the following collection, we present a list of films from the region that are well worth seeing.
On Body and Soul (Testről és lélekről) | Hungary
On Body and Soul is a 2017 Hungarian film drama directed by Ildikó Enyedi and starring Alexandra Borbély and Géza Morcsányi. The film won the main prize at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival and was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars. The two main characters of the story meet while working in a slaughterhouse.
The film’s two principal characters are Endre, the economic manager of the slaughterhouse with a reserved nature and paralyzed left hand, and Mária, the stern, new quality inspector with slightly autistic behavior who is still learning to accept emotions and human touch. Although she is motivated to make human connections, her peculiar style isolates her from her colleagues. Interestingly, Maria and Endre share a dream every night: they walk as a pair of deer in a beautiful snow-covered landscape.
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (4 luni, 3 săptămâni şi 2 zile) | Romania
Cristian Mungiu is both director and writer of the hit Romanian film starring Anamaria Marinca, Vlad Ivanov, and Laura Vasiliu. In the story, a young girl helps her friend organize an illegal abortion in 1980s Romania. The tragic story of the two students and roommates is set during the last years of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s rule under the communist regime.
In order to arrange an illegal abortion, they meet Mr. Bebe, who is planning to carry out the operation, in a room of a cheap hotel. The film was awarded the Palme d’Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and the FIPRESCI Prize. The film was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
The Auschwitz Report (Správa) | Slovakia
Slovak film drama directed by Peter Bebjak. It was nominated for the 93rd Academy Awards by Slovakia but ultimately did not receive a nomination from the Academy. The story, based on real-life events, follows two young Slovak Jews, Freddy, and Walter, who were deported to Auschwitz in 1942. On 10 April 1944, after meticulous planning, they managed to escape with the help of their fellow prisoners. Painful and broken, they set off back across the mountains to Slovakia. They manage to cross the border and meet the Red Cross, where they prepare a detailed report on the systematic genocide committed in the camp.
One Song a Day Takes Mischief Away (Tko pjeva zlo ne misli) | Croatia
Directed by Krešo Golik from a short story by Vjekoslav Majer, this 1970 Croatian comedy-drama was a major critical and commercial success at the time of its release. According to a survey of film critics, it is the best Croatian film ever made. Set in Zagreb in the mid-1930s, the story is told through the eyes of 6-year-old Perica Šafranek. A Zagreb dandy, Mr. Fulir, starts flirting with Perica’s mother during a family picnic. At first, Perica’s father is oblivious and invites Fulir to their apartment, but after several encounters, he becomes aware of Fulir’s attempts at seduction.
Ida | Poland
Made in 2013, this film drama is directed by Paweł Pawlikowski and written by Pawlikowski and Rebecca Lenkiewicz. Set in Poland in 1962, the film follows the story of a young woman who is about to take her vows as a Catholic nun. Orphaned as a baby during the German occupation of World War II, she is sent to meet her aunt. The two women embark on a road trip to the Polish countryside to learn about the fate of their Jewish relatives.
Photographs: Inforg-M&M Film (On Body and Soul), Mobra Films and Saga Film (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days), D.N.A. Production (The Auschwitz Report), FRZ (One Song a Day Takes Mischief Away), Opus Film (Ida)
Sources: imdb, port.hu