Tuesday, 1 May 2012

Sátántangó (1994)



☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ 


Sátántangó (1994) – B. Tarr

Perhaps I cheated by watching this 7.5 hour (12 part) film over a week's time. But its amazing long takes, during which the camera stands stock still or pans slowly around characters, close to objects and sometimes into darkness, bear a lot of scrutiny. The stunning b&w images and very physical repetitive soundtrack make watching the movie akin to staring at a painting listening to drone music. The plot is continually mysterious, as information is only gradually imparted to the viewer (from multiple perspectives). This is either about the collapse of a collective farm (due to idiocy it seems) or allegorically about the fall of communism in Hungary and the loose ends its people found themselves at or even more allegorically about humanity duped by the false messiah. With a tango structure. Astonishing. 

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