A beautiful girl is found dead in Budapest 1936 and no one wants to investigate — except Zsigmond Gordon, a world-weary reporter who asks unwanted questions about the seemingly unimportant murder of a young prostitute found beaten to death and dumped in a courtyard. While supposedly covering the funeral of Fascist-leaning Hungarian prime minister Gyula Gombos, Gordon’s investigation leads him deep into the city’s dark underbelly, a shady world of pornographers, fixers, boxing rings, seedy brothels and powerful crime syndicates. Along the way, everyone’s motives are suspect from the lowlifes in the street, to the political activists, to the highest echelons of business and power. As we learn their secrets, the film illuminates the beauty and the grit of daily life in pre-WWII Budapest. We can enjoy the journey while remembering that in noir, there is always a price. Viewer Discretion advised due to violent action and sexual content.
“In Greek tragedy, they fall from great heights. In noir, they fall from the curb.”
― Dennis Lehane
“Éva Gárdos directs with a deft hand and a supple control that seamlessly blends traditional noir tropes into a politically charged period piece with a contemporary resonance that can’t be missed.” Eddie Muller, Noir Alley, TCM
FILM DETAILS
Drama/ mystery / Dir: Eva Gardos/ Starring Krisztián Kolovratnik, / 2017 / Hungary / Hungarian w Eng ST/ 95 min
festivals
San Francisco JFF, Best Score Hollywood Music in Media Awards, Washington JFF, Atlanta JFF, Chicago Intl FF, Boston JFF, Palm Springs INtl FF, Toronto JFF, Philadelphia JFF
