1945
classified 12A SPlease note: This was screened in Oct 2018
When two Orthodox Jews return to the Hungarian town that betrayed them under Nazi-occupation, the stage is set for conflict in Ferenc Török’s haunting European western.
On a sweltering summer day in 1945, an Orthodox Jewish man and his grown son return to a village 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 and expects them to demand their illegally acquired property and possessions back - while others are afraid yet more survivors will come.
Török paints a complex picture of a society trying to come to terms with the recent horrors they’ve experienced, perpetrated, or just tolerated for personal gain. A superb ensemble cast, lustrous black and white cinematography, and historically detailed art direction contribute to an eloquent drama that reiterates Thomas Wolfe’s famed sentiment: you can’t go home again.