1945 – Review

The Stationmaster (István Znamenák) and Suba Mihály (Miklós B. Székely) prepare to take their mysterious Jewish visitors into town. Photo credit: Lenke Szilagyi / Menemsha Films

Hungarian director Ferenc Torok’s haunting, visually striking black-and-white drama 1945 takes place in a small Hungarian village shortly after the end of World War II. The well-acted drama unfolds a tale of guilt and greed among the villagers following the arrival of two strangers, a drama that reveals what was done to the Jewish population by ordinary citizens across Europe during the war.

The film played the 2017 St. Louis International Film Festival but returns for a longer theatrical run at Landmarks’ Plaza Frontenac Cinema starting Friday, April 6, 2018

The arrival of two men dressed in black at a rural Hungarian train station grips the residents of the neighboring town with fear and guilt. The two men appear to be Orthodox Jews but no one recognizes them yet their arrival spurs the station master (Istvan Znamenak) to send word to the town clerk, Istvan Szentes (Peter Rudolf). As it turns out, Szentes, a prosperous politician who seems more like the town’s mayor, is preparing for his son Arpad’s (Bence Tasnadi) wedding that afternoon. But preparing for this festive occasion nearly come to a halt when he gets word about the arrival of the two men. The older man (Ivan Angelus) and the younger one (Marcell Nagy), who seems to be his son, have arrived with two large boxes labeled “perfumes and cosmetics.” The older man gives his name as Herman Samuel, which does not match any of the town’s Jewish former residents. Nonetheless, the news shocks the politician and then other villagers into a panicked frenzy of guilty activity. They respond variously, with either fear, guilt or overwhelming remorse. Everyone is asking, will more Jews arrive?

Director Torok’s film is based on the lauded short story “Homecoming” by Gabor T. Szanto. While fictional, the story reflects what happened in many places throughout Europe during the war, spotlighting the role human greed played in what happened to Jewish families throughout areas occupied by the Nazis.

Torok treats this story like a mystery, slowly uncovering the rottenness beneath the village’s quaint veneer. The plot reveals the treachery and collusion among these villagers, particularly the town clerk, who exploited the plight of the Jews for their own material gain during the war, an ugly tale that was repeated not just in Hungary but throughout Europe. As the plot slowly reveals, these townspeople did more than simply stand by as their Jewish neighbors were deported to concentration camps.

Tension is high in this suspenseful and beautifully photographed black-and-white drama. Director Torok handles the story brilliantly, teasing us as he reveals horrifying tidbits of information. The gorgeous black-and-white imagery captures just the right for the tone of this period tale, and helps boost its feeling of foreboding.

The two men at the center of this frenzy are mostly silent, saying nothing except to arrange transport of the two boxes to town. Wary of what may happen, the hauler Suba (Miklós B. Székely) hauling the boxes by his horse-drawn cart asks for payment in advance. The old man gives him a sad look but says nothing as he pays.

As the two strangers walk behind the cart as its slow progresses towards the town, word of their arrival spreads through the village, even upending preparations under way for the big wedding and feast to follow. Everyone seems worried, and questions abound. Who are these men?Are they the heirs? Did they purchase the property from the Jews who were deported? Most importantly, will the Jews want to take their property back?

While the town clerk obsesses about the past, an uncertain future looms unnoticed. The town is occupied by the Russian army but the town’s leader seems only mildly interested in the upcoming election, one which will sweep the communists into power and do more to transform the village’s comfortable traditional life.

Although the town clerk seems to have profited the most, everyone in town seems to bear some guilt in these evil deeds. Some are defiant in their claims to stolen property but other are wracked with remorse over the evil done. None do anything to right the wrongs done. Even the priest (Bela Gados) seems willing to ignore the past.

The acting is excellent, with actors peeling back the layers of complex relationships built on evil deeds, which begin to crumble as facts and truth are forced to the surface. Peter Rudolf particularly good as the oily, bullying town clerk, as is Jozsef Szarvas as his hard-drinking lackey, who is crushed by his regrets. Agi Szirtes also is good as his wife, seized with fear she will lost the house she lives in, still surrounded by the possessions of its Jewish former owner. But perhaps the most striking, moving performance is Ivan Angelus as the older Jewish man, in which he conveys volumes of meaning and feeling without a single word.

Director Tobok plays a cat-and-mouse game with the audience, keeping us off balance until the end. 1945 is a brilliantly made film, and powerful, moving reminder of the evil that can take place under cover of wartime and the power of greed.

RATING: 5 out of 5 stars