1945
Being a Hungarian art-house film with a limited release, 1945 will not get many views this year. For the few that do get the opportunity at a ticket, they are in for a special treat. With captivating black and white photography and a powerful, simplistic story, 1945 firmly stands as one of the best art films of the 21st century.
1945 is the year World War II came to an end. The Kingdom of Hungary fought alongside the Axis powers (Nazi Germany and Italy) up until the final years of the war. Hungarian born filmmaker Ferenc Torok takes a look back on his roots and composes a hammering allegory to his nation’s emotion during the tail-end of the ruinous war.
The plot is as simple as it needs to be; two Jewish strangers arrive in town, and the town’s citizens panic in fear of the worst. What the townspeople suspect is that the Jewish men are back to claim property that is rightfully theirs. As the two men peacefully continue through the village, it’s as if an emergency alarm has been set off; people break down, relations fall apart, and business nears its collapse.
What makes this such a brilliant watch is the town-wide reaction to such a non-occurrence. The Jewish men arrive casually and remain inactive, and it lights a scorching fire under the village seat. Consequently, we get an intimate look into a number of individual lives and family/friend relationships.
The primary lead, Istvan, is the town clerk whose overlook of local affairs is characterized by an amount of egotistic control. He carries himself as a confident, charismatic, upper-class leader, yet it is he who especially panics and aggravates a town-wide anxiety attack. His son, Arpad, is to marry in just a few hours, but the arrival of the Jewish strangers, is impeding on the ceremony. Andras is a fellow of the property scheme who claims he was forced to sign accusations, but he can’t put the bottle down since the Jews’ arrival.
A darkness looms over the heads of the Hungarian people that evokes their inner emotion. When face to face with the people who they have wronged, lives flip out of control. Fear, guilt, remorse, hatred, shame – the exact source of their excitability and woe cannot be pinpointed. Their interiors are lost in it all and their exteriors try to cope. And none of it offers reparations to the real victims of the situation.
The title, “1945“, frees a wide ground of exploration for the viewer to dig – “1945” is beyond Hungary; it’s a worldwide phenomenon. Torok paints such an open metaphor on such a quintessential time, that the interpretations induced, inevitably reside in the bosom of global consciousness. Just like all the best pieces of art, 1945 holds high value in its ambiguity. You’ll be stirred in the dramatics of the film, and then the end comes and your soul is swept. Thereafter, a repeated viewing will be needed to study 1945 with context.
If you liked 1945, you might also like; The White Ribbon (2009), Ida (2013), The Man From London (2007), The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978).
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