THE TURIN HORSE [A Torinói Ló]
2011 Oscar Selection, Hungary
The prologue to Béla Tarr's latest and reportedly last film describes an (apocryphal) event in the life of Friedrich Nietzsche — witnessing a carriage driver whipping his horse, the philosopher flung himself around the defenseless animal, then collapsed, never to recover, a mute invalid for the final decade of his life. But what of the horse? Recalling both Tarr's masterpiece SATANTANGO and the parable-like work of Robert Bresson, Tarr introduces the miserable cab man Ohlsdorfer (János Derzsi), lame and destitute, leading his long-suffering steed home to their hovel, both to be cared for there by his granddaughter (Erika Bók). The Ohlsdorfers' lives consist of drudgery, subsistence on potatoes, and repetition, monumentally staged and hypnotically paced by Tarr, aided by Fred Keleman's fluid camerawork and the moody strings of Mihály Vig's score. A neighbor visits to bum a drink with Ohlsdorfer, and shares his apocalyptic view on the state of things. Mysterious events in the ensuing days lend credence to his theory. Winner, Silver Bear and FIPRESCI Prize, 2011 Berlin Film Festival; Official Selection, 2011 Karlovy Vary, Telluride, Toronto, New York Film Festivals.
DIR/SCR Béla Tarr; DIR Ágnes Hranitzky; SCR
Laszlo Krasznahorkai; PROD Gábor Téni. Hungary/France/Germany/Switzerland, 2011, b&w, 149 min. In Hungarian with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Fri, Nov 18, 2:00, 9:30
Official site
Trailer
Back to EU home
|