Katalin Varga

The beautiful Transylvanian countryside, where a thin veil of modernity covers a continuing peasant lifestyle for many, is the setting for Peter Strickland's short, unsentimental film 'Katalin Varga' about the aftermath of a rape. It's a quiet movie, strikingly shot, that offers no pretence of life easier than it actually is. To me, it seemed that the reaction of the perpetrator's wife seemed simultaneously slightly overdone (in terms of motivation) and underplayed; one might also suggest that the ending is not especially satisfying, probably because the film never lets us know exactly what it is that Katalin is hoping for. This can be justified, however, because it's completely plausible that the character doesn't know herself. In a nutshell, this is a revenge movie; but so much more interesting that most of what we see in this genre.

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.

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.

Obviously filmmaker Strickland has a special interest in women's world. Hilda Péter is simply brilliant as the strong willed woman, giving it a mythical inner power and carries the whole show. Shot in 17 days, the movie has the stamp of a genius inspiration. I think it would easily be considered masterpiece in case it was part of a grander philosophical undertaking.

When the husband of the eponymous Katalin Varga learns that he is not the father of their ten year old son, Orban, he throws her out and demands that she leaves their village. She departs with Orban, telling him that they are going to see his sick grandmother. She has other plans though; Orban wasn't the result of an infidelity but of rape and now she intends to have her revenge. This is something that will have unintended consequences and put her in danger.

Usually when revenge is the subject of a film there will be lots of action before a righteous avenger slays the villainous character who wronged them. This is very different; there is little in the way of action but that is more than made up for in atmosphere. The rural Romanian setting is beautiful and in turns idyllic and oppressive depending on the location and even the weather. This is a world where ancient meets modern; Katalin travels in a horse drawn cart but characters have mobile phones. Hilda Péter does a great job as Katalin, a character who is rarely off screen; the scene where she talks about what happened to her is particularly effecting. The supporting cast are solid too; most notably Tibor Pálffy who plays the man she most wants revenge against... a character that is more sympathetic than one might expect. Overall I'd definitely recommend the melancholically beautiful film.