Land of Storms
| Land of Storms | |
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| Viharsarok | |
| Directed by | Ádám Császi |
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| Music by | Csaba Kalotás |
| Cinematography | Marcell Rév |
| Edited by | Tamás Kollányi |
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Running time | 105 minutes |
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Land of Storms (Hungarian: Viharsarok) is a Hungarian drama film, released in 2014.[1] The feature film debut of director Ádám Császi, the film had its debut at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival.[1]
The film stars András Sütő as Szabolcs,[1] a young man who returns home to Hungary after quitting his budding football career in Germany, and begins a romantic and sexual relationship with Áron (Ádám Varga), an apprentice stonemason from a nearby town.[1] The situation is complicated when Bernard (Sebastian Urzendowsky), Szabolcs' former roommate in Germany, arrives to convince him to return to football training.[1]
Plot
Szabolcs (András Sütő), a talented but passionless football player in an amateur German team, mangles a match and is sent off with a red card. As a result, a league scout leaves, he picks a fight with his best friend Bernard (Sebastian Urzendowsky) and quits the team. He returns to a dilapidated family home in rural Hungary to farm bees instead. One night, he catches Áron (Ádám Varga), a local from the nearby village who lives with and cares for his invalid mother, attempting to steal his scooter. He knocks Áron off, knocking him out in the process, and stays with him until he wakes. Instead of calling the police, Szabolcs has Áron help repair the house. They become friends and Szabolcs joins the locals playing football.
One night, after going swimming and drinking too much, they lie on the road and Szabolcs gives a barely-conscious Áron a handjob. Áron is clearly confused about how he feels about the encounter. Áron tells his invalid mother about Szabolcs, who in turn tells others, raising the ire of the conservative community. Despite this, he keeps returning to help Szabolcs with the house and their relationship deepens.
After some of the villagers beat Szabolcs during a football game and Áron refuses to stand up for him, Szabolcs calls Bernard. Though Áron soon returns to him, Bernard also arrives in Hungary, creating tension. Bernard expresses an interest in a relationship with Szabolcs and tries to convince him to return to Germany to play football. Eventually the community sentiment turns against Áron as well. After Áron is also assaulted by his friends and criticized by his mother, he moves in with Szabolcs. He and Bernard compete for Szabolcs' attention. Eventually Szabolcs chooses to stay in Hungary with Áron, and Bernard returns to Germany.
Áron returns home to find his mother near death after he was not there to take care of her. She dies in hospital soon after. Unable to deal with the guilt of not being there for her, combined with the animosity of the villagers, he returns to Szabolcs. After a final sexual encounter, he mortally stabs the footballer in the chest.