Films about Power, Love and Divorce
The 20th International Film Festival in Miskolc (Hungary) delighted audiences with a diverse program featuring both this year’s festival hits and hidden, intimate masterpieces. Our FIPRESCI jury judged two programs—the main competition and CINENEWWAVE, a program of Hungarian short film debuts.
In total, our jury watched 16 feature competition films and 11 short films. If we draw an imaginary line under these programs, it becomes clear that most films explored the nature of power in all its various forms, love, and the painful topic of separation.
Starting with this year’s international festival hits, Kinds of Kindness by Yorgos Lanthimos immediately comes to mind, a massive two-and-a-half-hour canvas divided into three acts. With his characteristic grotesque humor, the Greek master—following the mainstream film Poor Things—seems to return to his earlier work, analyzing concepts such as power, love, and faith. The first story in his new film portrays an abusive relationship between a boss (Willem Dafoe) and his subordinate (Jesse Plemons), where the boss completely controls the subordinate’s life, dictating what books to read (Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina), what alcohol to drink, and whom to marry. One day, the boss gives him an impossible task—to kill a person. Plemons’ character faces insurmountable moral barriers, but manipulation by the boss leads him to carry out the order. In this way, Lanthimos contrasts his vision of the nature of power with Hannah Arendt’s famous philosophical theory, which separates power from violence. However, in his third story about a mysterious cult obsessed with resurrecting people, Lanthimos agrees with Arendt, who argued that power belongs to groups of people who voluntarily unite for a common goal.
An interesting take on the nature of power can also be found in the short film Pun Intended by Jack Turits (our winner). In this professionally crafted and well-produced short, power belongs to the state, which conducts strange experiments on its future citizens, questioning basic humanity. Two migrants must duel with firearms to become citizens, and the winner is then required to sing the national anthem, while the dead body of the loser is carried off the battlefield. The director successfully combines Kafkaesque surreal humor with a powerful political statement, criticizing the migration policies of some European countries.
La Cocina by Alonso Ruizpalacios also reflects on capitalism. The film follows Latin American migrants trying to build their lives in a New York restaurant, depicting how an inhumane system drives people to the edge of madness.
A distorted view of love is presented in the second story of Kinds of Kindness by Yorgos Lanthimos. Here, Jesse Plemons’ character grieves for his missing wife (Emma Stone). But when the woman returns from a deserted island, where she barely survived, he suspects she is an impostor. The bewildered husband forces the returned wife to undergo a series of trials in the name of love, culminating in cutting out her own liver. Lanthimos has always had a unique take on love, and self-mutilation in its name, as seen in The Lobster.
A completely different example of a bright, joyous view of love is Gloria! by Margherita Vicario, which tells the story of an all-consuming love for music. Set in the 18th century in an Italian provincial music school for girls, the film is made with love for women and respect for all the female musicians in cultural history whose names have been forgotten. The film’s director, an Italian pop star, wrote all the music for this sensitive and elegant film herself.
A different kind of love – parental love – is at the heart of Brief History of a Family by Jianjie Lin. This curious and masterful debut by the Chinese director tells the story of a family that takes in their son’s school friend, a boy with a difficult past. The plot develops unpredictably, and it seems that it might follow the path of the Oscar-winning Parasite or The Talented Mr. Ripley. However, the director avoids these clichés and creates an authentic story.
Girls will be Girls by Shuchi Talati addresses teenage love. The film follows high schoolers as they experience their first feelings and sexual experiences. Interestingly, in traditionally patriarchal India, the director managed to create a film with a strong feminist charge.
The festival’s program also featured several films about the end of love, leading to separation. One of them is Loveable by Lilja Ingolfsdottir, in which the heroine tries to come to terms with her husband leaving her. Honestly, although the film won several awards from various juries at the Miskolc festival, it feels rather contrived and unconvincing. The film suggests that the heroine needs to love herself first to accept the end of the relationship, a common psychological view. However, in Loveable, the heroine might be better off with a psychiatrist and medication.
January 2 by Zsofia Szilagyi is a successful example of a film about divorce. This intimate, low-budget Hungarian film (our winner) tells the story of one winter day in Budapest, when a woman moves out from her husband’s house with the help of a friend. The natural acting, well-written dialogue, and overall atmosphere of light sadness make the film stand out.
Another Hungarian film, Vulture’s Wake by Szabolcs Hajdu, also explores the theme of potential separation. In this black-and-white film, the plot again unfolds within a single day, but it has an open ending, which could be interpreted as a happy ending.
Ultimately, the festival demonstrated the power of cinema to delve into the human condition, highlighting the universal struggles with authority, emotional bonds, and the inevitable changes in relationships. Cinefest 2024 was a testament to the enduring relevance of these themes in global storytelling, offering both established and emerging filmmakers a platform to voice their perspectives.
Natalia Serebriakova
Edited by Robert Horton
© FIPRESCI 2024