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- 2017
- Menemsha Films
- 1 h 31 m
- 2017
- Menemsha Films
- 1 h 31 m
SummaryOn a summer day in 1945, an Orthodox man and his grown son return to a village in Hungary while the villagers prepare for the wedding of the town clerk's son. The townspeople – suspicious, remorseful, fearful, and cunning – expect the worst and behave accordingly. The town clerk fears the men may be heirs of the village's deported Jews a...
Directed By: Ferenc Török
Written By: Gábor T. Szántó, Ferenc Török
- 2017
- Menemsha Films
- 1 h 31 m
- 2017
- Menemsha Films
- 1 h 31 m
1945
73
7.7
My Score
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SummaryOn a summer day in 1945, an Orthodox man and his grown son return to a village in Hungary while the villagers prepare for the wedding of the town clerk's son. The townspeople – suspicious, remorseful, fearful, and cunning – expect the worst and behave accordingly. The town clerk fears the men may be heirs of the village's deported Jews a...
Directed By: Ferenc Török
Written By: Gábor T. Szántó, Ferenc Török
Where to Watch
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally FavorableBased on 13 Critic Reviews
73
85% Positive
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
15% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
- All Reviews
- Positive Reviews
- Mixed Reviews
- Negative Reviews
Metascore
Generally FavorableBased on 13 Critic Reviews
73
85% Positive
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
15% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
- All Reviews
- Positive Reviews
- Mixed Reviews
- Negative Reviews
It’s a good bet that the director had “High Noon” in mind when he made this film, but the comparison ends there. As a compact study of wartime guilt, the film has the look and feel of a waking nightmare.
The gripping period drama offers a fresh, intelligent cinematic approach to a difficult topic.
User Score
Generally FavorableBased on 11 User Ratings
7.7
64% Positive
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
36% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
- All Reviews
- Positive Reviews
- Mixed Reviews
- Negative Reviews
User Score
Generally FavorableBased on 11 User Ratings
7.7
64% Positive
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
36% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
- All Reviews
- Positive Reviews
- Mixed Reviews
- Negative Reviews
Films like 'Schindler's List' and 'The Pianist' dutifully memorialize the myriad horrors that occurred on European lands during the Second World War. But often enough, there is much less consideration given towards the continued pain and suffering of those who were most directly victimized by the war immediately following May 8th, 1945--otherwise known as V-E Day.'1945,' a subtitled Hungarian film shot in black-and-white, brings those stark realities to life. Six million Jews were murdered as a result of the Holocaust. Millions more were displaced. Jewish-owned land was appropriated, homes were confiscated, and businesses were seized. So what happened when the survivors--and rightful owners of all that property--finally returned? '1945' poses the question, then compellingly brings that scenario to life via a small Hungarian village that is forced to face the lingering sins of its recent past. The storyline is raw, stripped down, and bleak, much like the atmosphere at the time. It's got **** pacing to it, in which a spark turns into a flame that soon bursts into a wildfire. And when the end credits finally roll, the burdensome weight **** conscious settles over the town, leaving audience members with a newfound perspective on the truly awful reverberations of war.
Report
A father (Ivan Angelus) and son (Marcell Nagy), Jews, dressed in black jackets and trousers, black hats and white shirts with the son also wearing a black tie get off a train in a small Hungary town. With them are 2 heavy crates which might hold perfumes and cosmetics or worse. Hiring a man with a horse and flatbed to carry the crates they walk slowly along it going into town, giving the trainmaster (Istvan Znamenak) time enough to announce “Jew have arrived” and the word is spread with whispers and speculation why they have come back.Directed by Ferenc Torok, who also wrote the screenplay with Gabor T. Szanto, we meet the villagers, many who have something to fear from the Jews and what they helped do to them.We meet Istvan Szentes, owner of a prosperous drugstore, shaving in the morning getting ready for the marriage of his son, Bence Tasnadi, to Dora Sztarenki, who at one time was engaged to Tamas Szabo Kimmel who had gone off to war to come back to find out that she preferred the security that Tasnadi can offer but still will have sex with Kimmel. Szentes’s wife, Eszter Nagy-Kalozy, is addicted to drugs and seems the most afraid of what the Jews can do to her and her life.In a black and white film running 91 minutes Angelus and Nagy say very little, and except for walking, do very little, but their presence disturbs everyone in the town, including the town drunk Jozsef Szarvas and the town clerk Peter Rudolf.“1945” is a different, sort of ‘strange’ film, yet at heart seems like an old Western though no guns and no good guys in white hats.I usually complain about films being too long but “1945” could have used another 10-15 minutes for explanations even though it still seemed to move slow at times.
Report
A new film that takes an unflinching look at a nation’s anti-Semitism that led to the death of hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews.
By Matthew MonagleFULL REVIEW
Torok juggles plenty of characters and themes — guilt, greed, Russian meddling, the Holocaust, justice — but he always remains firmly in control of his story. Every frame is meticulously crafted.
Absorbing and finely wrought, 1945 is not perfect.
The fractured rhythm of 1945 and the desolate aesthetic are engrossing, but Ferenc Török's film doesn't linger.
There’s an air of “High Noon” to Török’s drama, which features an intrusive sound design, including Tibor Szemzö’s jarringly contemporary score and sound effects that include the ringing of a clock tower, buzzing flies, rumbling thunder and noisy birds — which transition from pleasant tweets to ominous caws of crows by the climax.
Making this movie in black and white adds to the period feel (and the title helps). It's set in a Hungarian village where the town clerk's son is about to get married. When 2 Orthodox Jews show up, it causes all manner of suspicion and paranoia. The deliberate pace, static action and underplayed emotions are all hallmarks of a "foreign" film and this one fits the bill. The atmospheric (and somewhat obnoxious) soundtrack is the only hint of a modern approach. While it's an interesting glimpse into this world and the simple people who live there, it's minimal approach is quietly compelling…if you're into this type of cinema. In Hungarian with subtitles.
Report
Production Company
- Katapult Film
Release DateNov 1, 2017
Duration1 h 31 m
Genres
TaglineSome Secrets Can't Be Buried