the probably biggest cinematic experience in history..

mradosav

Bela Tarr's film Satantango is indeed one of the visually most intense, beautiful, and hypnotic movie experiences in cinema. Not only does this film offer amazing cinematography, camera and technical skills, it also gives the audience one of the most fascinating, honest, and deepest character studies. Yes it is 7 hours long, but it does never feel stretched, boring, never-ending, or exaggerated. Ever single minute fits, every frame and every additional camera angle is necessary to provide this unique experience. The mind of the spectator very soon adapts to it's glacial movement, and even though some cuts are of unusual length, they are so subtly placed, so carefully directed, and so rich of details that it will hardly be realized, let alone feel long or boring.

The film is set in a Hungarian village, in the 80s. It is one of those villages, which used to prosper, be rich, and have a very high status of social interactions before the onset of Communism. However, this film, as many describe or try to explain, is not about Communism, or politics. It is about humanity. For people who haven't experienced the changes Communism made, a prequel to this film would actually be quite handy. Those villages haven't always been poor, dark, and stripped of every hope for prosperity. This movie shows how the human mind and soul fall apart and get lost, practically parallel to the surroundings they are set in.

Satantango is a film to be seen, witnessed, and felt. However, I do have to make clear that this film is indeed not for everyone. The audience for this film has to be ready to be very slowly, but very intensely be pulled into a place that seems to have lost every last bit of hope. To fully understand and appreciate the movie, it helps to have some ethnic knowledge on rural life in Eastern Europe during the second half of the 20th century. Or on the other hand, this is a cinematic piece for people who want to experience a film created with sheer beauty, full of detail, patience, and breathtaking visual strength.

Undoubtedly, it is one of the biggest achievements in the history of cinema.

score 10/10

mradosav 23 June 2009

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2085210/