Nagy makes acclaimed debut with Father's Acre
Winner of the Gene Moskowitz Prize awarded by foreign critics at the latest Hungarian Film Week, Viktor Oszkár Nagy’s debut feature Father's Acre (Apaföld) was launched yesterday in Hungarian theatres by Mozinet.
With this graduate film – starring veteran actor János Derzsi (who has appeared in many of Béla Tarr’s films) and newcomers Tamás Ravasz and Andrea Nagy – the 28-year-old director proves to be an artist to watch among the strong, young generation of Hungarian filmmakers.
Written by the director, the film recounts how a father returns to his son after a long period in prison. Anxious to be reconciled with his child – who reproaches him for his absence (the mother having died in the interim) – the father tries to teach him some values and buys a piece of land in order to plant a vine.
However, the son totally rejects this paternal figure and the tension grows further when the father starts a relationship with his former wife’s sister.
This oedipal story is directed with great visual skill and a minimalism proudly defended by the young filmmaker: "There is no plot in the conventional sense of the term. It’s not the dialogues which tell the story. There are, moreover, very few dialogues. The tale is perceived through sounds and images. But I think viewers from any country will understand this story."
Produced by Eurofilm Stúdió with backing from the Hungarian Culture Ministry, the Motion Picture Public Foundation of Hungary (MMKA) and the National Cultural Fund (NKA), Father's Acre was made for around €400,000 and shooting lasted 24 days. International sales are being handled by Eurofilm Stúdió.
Other new releases hitting theatres this week include Pierre Morel’s French production Taken [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (distributed by SPI) and Juraj Lehotský’s Slovakian feature Blind Loves [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Cirkofilm).
At the box office, Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Danny Boyle
film profile] is still in second place in the weekly rankings, having garnered 68,803 admissions in four weeks (distributed by Fórum). Meanwhile, Fonyó Gergely’s Made in Hungaria has attracted 90,000 viewers in six weeks (distributed by Bufi) and Jérôme Salle’s Largo Winch [+see also:
trailer
film profile] has drawn 9,826 cinemagoers in two weeks (Best Hollywood).
(Translated from French)
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