Sátántangó
Symphonic in scale and tragicomic in feel, Hungarian director Béla Tarr’s monumental masterwork spans seven hours of screen time but is never less than hypnotically absorbing. Freely adapted from the 1985 novel by László Krasznahorkai, the opus is set in a purgatorial, rain-sodden farming village full of lost souls, petty criminals and fatalistic misfits. Filmed in gloriously grimy monochrome and extended tracking shots (some stretching up to 10 minutes) this bleak, beautiful epic is a visual feast. The dubious messianic figure of Irimiás is played by Tarr’s regular composer Mihály Vig, who also wrote the mournful, tango-inspired score.
Mihály Vig, Putyi Horváth, László feLugossy
- Notes From Lukas DhontBigger than us. A symphony in black and white. While a herd of cows struggles through the mud, plans are made within an agricultural community to run away with the last remaining money. But hopelessness paralyzes the residents into cycles of drinking, dancing and waiting. One of the most contemplative and transformative viewing experiences in the world of the moving image.
