Damnation (film)

Damnation
Directed by Béla Tarr
Music by Mihály Vig
Running time
 116 minutes
Country Hungary
Language Hungarian

Damnation (Hungarian: Kárhozat) is a black-and-white 1988 Hungarian film directed by Béla Tarr. The screenplay was co-written by Tarr's frequent collaborator, László Krasznahorkai.

The movie is a favourite of many, including Susan Sontag.[1]

Plot

Damnation tells the story of Karrer (Miklós B. Székely), a depressed man in love with a married torch singer (Vali Kerekes) from a local bar, the Titanik. The singer broke off their affair, because she dreams of becoming famous. Karrer is offered smuggling work by Willarsky (Gyula Pauer), the bartender at the Titanik. Karrer offers the job to the singer's husband, Sebestyén (György Cserhalmi). This gets him out of the way, but things don't go as Karrer plans. Betrayals follow. Karrer despairs.

Reception

Damnation is generally acclaimed by film critics, and many rank it one of Tarr's finest works. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports a 92% approval rating based on 12 reviews. Michael Atkinson of Village Voice called the film "a serotonin-depleted ordeal, and yet seemingly a sketchbook of vibes and ideas to come, with some of the most magnificent black-and-white images shot anywhere in the world."[2] Jonathan Rosenbaum wrote in the Chicago Reader, "The near miracle is that something so compulsively watchable can be made out of a setting and society that seem so depressive and petrified."[3] Writing for Slant Magazine, Jeremiah Kipp argued, "In terms of creating a strong cinematic world, Tarr has few equals."[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Damnation Reviews". Cinemaparallel.com. Retrieved 2013-08-04.
  2. ↑ Atkinson, Michael (5 October 2007). "Small Town Anomie and Liquored Exhaustion". Village Voice. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  3. ↑ Rosenbaum, Jonathan (31 July 2003). "Damnation". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  4. ↑ Kipp, Jeremiah (21 April 2006). "Damnation". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 21 December 2014.

External links