'Katalin Varga'
A Libra Film, Peter Strickland production, in association with Hai-Hui Entertainment. (International sales: Memento Films, Paris.) Produced by Peter Strickland. Co-producers, Tudor Giurgiu, Oana Giurgiu. Directed, written by Peter Strickland.
With: Hilda Peter, Tibor Palffy, Norbert Tanko, Melinda Kantor, Sebastian Marina, Roberto Giacomello, Laszlo Matray.
The taste of revenge is not exactly sweet in “Katalin Varga,” the strong debut feature of British helmer Peter Strickland. Stark and archaic story of the vindictive journey of a wronged woman and her son is set in contempo Transylvania but is infused with archetypes that go back right to the early days of storytelling. Novice helmer is fully in command of the material and pic is always engaging despite the obvious direction in which it is headed. Pic has already sold to many European territories in the wake of its Berlin screening.
Film was shot over several years in the Hungarian-speaking part of Romanian Transylvania, without any production company on board until post-production. Despite the fact he doesn’t speak either Hungarian or Romanian, Strickland shows a real flair for painting a picture of the region, and thesping, by local theater actors, feels authentic throughout.
Katalin Varga (Hilda Peter) decides it is time to face the demons of her past when her husband (Laszlo Matray) discovers their son Orban (Norbert Tanko) is not his. Together with her child, she sets out to find the man who raped her 11 years earlier, and Orban’s biological father.
With mother and son traveling by horse-drawn cart through the green fields of Transylvania, pic visually underlines the shift from a contempo tale into something more archaic. Decision feels appropriate since Katalin’s real destination is revenge and her character, about whom nothing is known that is not directly relevant for the story, is an ageless archetype. Treatment is reminiscent of Kornel Mundruczo’s recent Cannes title “Delta,” though the revenge theme makes “Varga” a more accessible arthouse film.
Things become complicated when Katalin first runs into Gegerly (Roberto Giacomello), the rapist’s accomplice, whom she seduces -- he doesn’t recognize her -- and then kills. Strickland, an economical storyteller, shows the death in an effective, two-second shot of Gegerly’s immobile legs sticking out from under a pine tree.
The gullible Orban strikes up a friendship with Antal (Tibor Palffy), a man they meet in the fields, unaware Antal is actually his father. Katalin is disturbed by the fact that he turns out to be a happily married man, and her two conversations with Antal’s wife (Melinda Kantor), one set on a rowboat with Antal present, are among pic’s highlights, exploring the gray area between hatred and forgiveness in just a few words and exchanged glances.
Lensing on 16mm by Mark Gyori and sound design by regular Bela Tarr collaborator Gyorgy Kovacs create a vivid picture of the region, which is both specific and timeless. Monotonous score won’t win any prizes for originality but does cast an ominous shadow over the entire film.
Camera (color, 16mm-to-35mm), Mark Gyori; editor, Matyaf Fekete; music, Steven Stapleton, Geoff Cox; sound (Dolby SR), Zoltan Karaszek; sound design, Gyorgy Kovacs. Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (competing), Feb. 11, 2009. Running time: 84 MIN. (Hungarian, Romanian dialogue.)
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