Smallclone100 I enjoyed Peter Strickland's 'Berberian Sound Studio' from 2012, and this film made by him 3 years earlier is just as good, if not better. It has a strange tone - almost like a 1970s Agnes Varda film, but it's set in Romania in present day. It's extremely erie in places and very beautifully shot in the Carpathian mountains about a woman with nothing left to lose out for vengeance. It also features a superb (but disturbing) monologue midway through the film from lead actress Hilda Peter.

punishmentpark Strickland filmed his sinister first film in an area where he did not speak the language (which reminds me of his follow-up film 'Berberian sound studio'), the Hungarian speaking part of Transsylvania. He did so over the course of several years with a limited budget (about 25,000 British pounds) and without hardly any experience (he had made a short before, which was shown at the Berlinale) in filmmaking.I am very happy about the choice he made, very happy. The settings in Transsylvania - where, outside of a couple of cellphones and some contemporary dressed people, time seems to have stood still - is of enchanting beauty and Strickland knows how to capture this in a special way; I made me think of 'Sombre' by Philippe Grandrieux a couple of times. De regularly ominous soundtrack evokes more dark expectations to add to the atmosphere. The time-line is occasionally hard to follow, but considering Katalin's uncertain fate, this is rather befitting.Hilda Péter does an excellent job, and does justice to all the various states of mind of Katalin. Norbert Tankó as the son and Tibor Pálffy are worth mentioning as well, but no one here fails their job.A big 9 out of 10, and also one to watch again soon.

andreeeei I borrowed the DVD from a local store, being sure that this is going to be a good movie. I read good reviews of it. Now I'm quite disappointed after seeing it. The movie is good enough until the scene where the woman is telling her rape experience finishes. The story of the rape is the best part. As the camera focused on the characters' faces, Katalin tells her horrific story, disconnected from the suffering that we would expect. That gives the character a lot of power. She is in a position of control, she overcame the bad experience and her main weapon is the truth, because the truth will really ruin the precious relationship of Katalin's aggressor with his wife. The story of the rape is told in such intimate detail, that you may feel various emotions, like empathy, justice being done, concern for any of the characters, each of them may be in a dangerous position. The situation is very much like one from Sadoveanu's novel "Baltagul". After this wonderful artistic moment, the rest of the movie is full of broken links. The man's regret for what he has done is very unrealistic, not that this might not happen in real life, but his state is not supported by the play and the character's story. Then, the suffering for the loss of his wife is too short. The wife, a devoted Christian, commits suicide (that's possible, but not very probable) without many explanations given to us. The man suffers too little after that because he is quite preoccupied with his relation with Katalin and her son. Many other disharmonious details disconnected me from the movie. I also have some personal regrets, that the Romanians in the movie are all mean characters. There's no obvious reason in a movie where 99 percent of the time you have Hungarian language speaking, only three short but significant dialogues are in Romanian. In one of them we have the girls eating sunflower seeds that are not helping the strangers in need without judging or mocking them. Eating sunflowers in public in Romania is associated with low class, specially because it's a Balkan habit mostly associated with gypsies. Speaking of gypsies, I can not get over the idea that the first victim of Katalin is associated with Gypsies and undoubtedly this is part of the construction of an evil character. The other two scenes with Romanians are the ones involving the vengeful criminals, one of them showing a twisted faith in God. Anyway, it could have been a good movie, but amateurish errors and a bit of xenophobia (I suppose) ruined it for me. I may keep in mind as good parts: landscapes, music and the boat scene.

nqure I enjoyed this film and the lead actress (Hilda Peter) gives a memorable, strong performance as a wronged woman seeking vengeance. The rural setting of Eastern Europe seemed appropriate where patriarchal societies still exist and blood-feuds common.The use of landscape, the story of vengeance gave the film the tone of a folk-myth and the end of the film, with Katalin confronting her rapist in a boat with his innocent, loving wife, was highly dramatic, the boat turning around the river in circles, reflecting the maelstrom of emotions.I thought the film well-structured, a basic revenge plot, but also more subtle than that: about husbands & wives and secrets, sin & guilt as well as a haunting, atmospheric soundtrack. But also how Katalin's revenge does not quite go as planned and her assailant is not a two-dimensional villain.I had difficulties reconciling some of the characterisation, especially Antal, the assailant. Perhaps his act, that of a normally good quiet man, is indicative that we can be all prone to evil, but Antal's characterisation jarred with the brutal act he had committed in the past. I think it would have been more plausible if his accomplice had been the rapist and Antal the bystander who had done nothing.Katalin's revenge does not go as anticipated, claiming the innocent as well as the guilty.I feel some of the problems in the film are perhaps due to its limited budget rather than ambition/intent. The ending was bleak, with the cycle of revenge continuing. I did think Antal would redeem himself, but the film perhaps ends on a darker, truthful note.