Contentar
Best movie of this year hands down!
Freaktana
A Major Disappointment
ninoguapo
Abandoned also known as Torzok is a powerful movie. It was made in Hungary and is a fine example of the East European cinema. Its director Árpád Sopsits shows the reality of a reformatory school during a communist regime in the country. He uses the yellow color to separate the dream like scenes from the rest - this color technique is later used in the movie Traffic. The movie portrays the harsh reality of the live in Hungary from that time because it is actually based on the writer/director's own childhood.The main character is Áron - a boy send to a reformatory school not because he has some something , but because his mother is sick and the father does not want to take care of his son. Once in the school Áron has to face the initial hostility of the lands there towards the newcomers - including beatings and hard words .He manages to survive through all those harsh moments and is soon accepted and befriended by the boys from the school.The actors in the movies are exceptionally talented despite their young age and the characters they portray come to live - each with its own uniqueness. The overall atmosphere is dark and the movie can be considered as hard to watch by anyone - probably the only one witch harsher atmosphere on a similar topic was in the movie Song for a raggy boy . The few moments of hope which the viewers can observe are directly related to the friendship between Aron and another student Attila as well as the one with his melancholic teacher Gálffi - who seems to be the only teacher from the reformatory school who cares of his students and opposes even the despotic director of the institution.Some of the scenes are really cruel - in one of them one of the teachers makes few boys to beat a friend of theirs themselves because he prayed to God - which was forbidden during the communist years. The cruelty in which the boys in the school are treated is awful and I do not buy the statement of their directors - that this is the only way to prepare them for the reality outside .The soundtrack is very powerful -classic music mostly - a bit of melancholic as well - it really contributes to the overall atmosphere.
Carlos Martinez Escalona
Arpad Sopsits directs a monumental movie in Torzok. Not the Hollywood honey- smeared teddy-bear story. Here, with a masterful skill, he tells a story that, sadly, was and is frequent everywhere in the world.Abandoned by his hating father, Aron is thrown into a world of despair and violence. Endured stoically by the children in a communist-era orphanage, their plight is fundamentally surviving.The way the director-writer casts special spells on some of his characters, makes this film incredibly unnerving, disturbing. The ominous dread of injustice just around the corner, behind every door, at the lips of the traitors, is enough to keep the children in a tense and maddening situation.What makes this film so special is that Sopsits deals with the forbidden in a way that transcends beauty. The beauty of childhood. The beauty of innocence. Against the hatred and folly of the torturers. Religion and religious spirit play a central part in this play. The story unfolds with lots of different wings. Every one of them of different colours and hues. But all of them masterfully intertwined to let the story flow.This film can leave you shattered and shivering. Maybe sobbing in frustration and anger. But the nuances of love, moral spirit and unbreakable will in the children, are more than enough to praise this work as a very deep reflection on good and evil. As a key to try solving the innermost doubts we all have some time in our lives. And to centre our motivations in thoughts of hope, that are always the flames that kindle the human spirit, no matter the age.Since my view of most films is, first, as a cinematographer, I'd like to comment on it, too.The approach to this film is minimalist. Lighting is kept to its bare minimum, pushing film to all what it can give in available light situations. The scenes are lit and photographed in such a way, that effectively conveys the mood of the story.Almost complete darkness is used in some very disturbing scenes. There's no place for joyful moods, except in some of Aron's dreams, that are ethereal and surreal, but extremely powerful. The operation of the steadicam in some scenes is perfect. Everything fits in place to tell the story. And never wanders into worlds of glamour, flashiness, silky and smooth images. The director and his DoP did a job that is almost never seen in big productions. And, from my point of view, this kind of approach leads to realistic images and straightforward story telling.
The transfer on DVD is pristine. The sound is absolutely amazing, with a score that may be one of the most naturally haunting I've ever heard, relying mostly on cellos and upright bass. I think there should be a special prize for After Crying... the music is perfect.Winner of so many awards, this film has not been released in Britain and was not shown except in festivals.
Gordon-11
This is a Hungarian film about a child being abandoned by his father. The child was sent to an orphanage, where he and other children were treated cruelly by the orphanage master. The children could not tolerate such torture anymore, and decided to escape. Although, the escape was successful, one of the children fell into the river and died. Another child got a high fever. Therefore, they had to seek help. Back in the orphanage they were punished cruelly, and the children were made to bear the name of murderers.I think it would be good if the film would say something about why the children suddenly ended up back in the orphanage after their escape. Did they walk back? Were they caught by the police? Were they caught by the orphanage master? It didn't say in the film.When I watched this film, I felt very sad. I could not believe that children could be treated so badly. They had to whip each other as a form of punishment. If they show any mercy they will be punished too. In this environment of terror, I think it is very harmful to the development of the children. Without love and care, the children will grow up to become delinquents.And yet, I believe that there are many institution in the world that treats children like this. As many people would know, the orphan problem is very bad in Eastern Europe. There are many orphans living in orphanages, and even more orphans have to live on the streets or in the sewers. They are left alone by their parents, and even outcast by their society.
I feel very touched by this film. Indeed, many viewers of this film were touched, too, they felt very sorry for the children. Maybe this film can increase the awareness of the orphan problem in the world. When the awareness increase, then the children are more likely to receive a better treatment.
mweston
This film is set in an orphanage in Hungary in 1960. Aaron is left there by his father. At first the other boys abuse him, but soon they accept him. Unfortunately, the man who runs the orphanage is sadistic and cruel.While the film feels manipulative at times and seems to have the basic message that life sucks, the one word I would use to describe the film is "haunting." The performances are very good, especially considering the young age of most of the actors. The cinematography and direction are also quite good, especially in the arresting dream sequences near the beginning and end of the film. Most people will probably never have a chance to see this, but I highly recommend it if you do. Seen at Cinequest (the San Jose, CA film festival) on 2/22/2002.
