Kontroll is a character-driven film; the (often surreal) storyline is little more than a carriage for the portrayal of the skewed lives and minds of Bulcsú, a ticket inspector on an undisclosed underground railway system (filmed in Budapest, but as the clip at the start of the film emphasises, no connection should be made), his colleagues, bosses, and a sample of passengers.
It is a tale of redemption - as I see it, the hooded man is Bulcsú's fear, or the Evil; Belá's daughter is his salvation, or the Good. The tunnel sequence shows Good making Bulcsú find and confront his fear; in the end, he does and leaves the station to enter the outside world. It also gives an interesting look at the psyche of a ticket inspector (I assume the psychiatrist montage is based on research).
*SPOILER ALERT* (if you haven't seen this film yet, skip to *CONCLUSION*
The first part of the film highlights the rivalry between Bulcsú and his team, and the "best" team in that system (led by Gonzó). It also introduces the mysterious hooded figure, who pushes people seemingly at random in front of trains. The entire film seems "real" - the characters are 3D, and their interaction does not greatly further the plot; this is particularly evident in the first 10 or 20 minutes.
It then heads into darker territory; the incident with Laci, Bulcsú's first interaction with the hooded guy, and the f*cked up tunnel thing. The change is most dramatic in the scene where the runner (whom i thought was called Bootsie, but doesn't seem to be in the credits) is killed - one of my favourite scenes in the film.
In the end, Bulcsú overcomes his fear of the hooded man, and eventually his fear of the outside world, and everybody's happy (well, Bulcsú is at least =P )
*CONCLUSION*
The film is different, and plays with the viewers' emotions - the startling switch between comedy and thriller, everyday and surreal - and does it well.
This is definitely a film to watch, and bodes well for Hungary's future in film-making.
~pr0ph37~
It is a tale of redemption - as I see it, the hooded man is Bulcsú's fear, or the Evil; Belá's daughter is his salvation, or the Good. The tunnel sequence shows Good making Bulcsú find and confront his fear; in the end, he does and leaves the station to enter the outside world. It also gives an interesting look at the psyche of a ticket inspector (I assume the psychiatrist montage is based on research).
*SPOILER ALERT* (if you haven't seen this film yet, skip to *CONCLUSION*
The first part of the film highlights the rivalry between Bulcsú and his team, and the "best" team in that system (led by Gonzó). It also introduces the mysterious hooded figure, who pushes people seemingly at random in front of trains. The entire film seems "real" - the characters are 3D, and their interaction does not greatly further the plot; this is particularly evident in the first 10 or 20 minutes.
It then heads into darker territory; the incident with Laci, Bulcsú's first interaction with the hooded guy, and the f*cked up tunnel thing. The change is most dramatic in the scene where the runner (whom i thought was called Bootsie, but doesn't seem to be in the credits) is killed - one of my favourite scenes in the film.
In the end, Bulcsú overcomes his fear of the hooded man, and eventually his fear of the outside world, and everybody's happy (well, Bulcsú is at least =P )
*CONCLUSION*
The film is different, and plays with the viewers' emotions - the startling switch between comedy and thriller, everyday and surreal - and does it well.
This is definitely a film to watch, and bodes well for Hungary's future in film-making.
~pr0ph37~