I am not an avid movie watcher, so I had never seen this until my daughter checked it out of the video store. From the very first scene until the final credits, I was mesmerized. There was not a single scene that I did not find captivating. At the end I was sobbing like a baby.
I think that a quality necessary to make a story this gripping is that it has all the elements that are common to the human experience - but with circumstances that make everything exaggerated. It is easy to identify with what these characters are going through, but at the same time, the situation is so unique as to stimulate the imagination and cause the viewer to see the world through different eyes. The story is both familiar and strange at the same time.
The acting was outstanding, especially the performance of the little girl who played Suzanne at age 6. It amazes me that a child so young could pull off a performance with this kind of depth and insight. I also loved the couple who played her foster parents - the foster father was just oozing with personality and character. The actors who played Peter and Margit did a first rate job as well.
I really wish I could find out more about the true story this was based on. My only criticism of the movie was that so many questions were left unanswered...Did the grandmother ever see Margit again? Did Suzanne ever again visit her Hungarian foster parents after her trip to Budapest at age 15? Did the culmination of this story really solve the family's relationship issues for good? Did Margit ever have the courage to return to Hungary and face the ghosts of her past? My daughter says that the mark of a good story is that it leaves you wanting more - so that must mean that this is a really good story.
After seeing it forthe first time, I watched the video 4 times before letting my daughter return it. I hope Eva Gardos writes a book about her life someday. I would be willing to read a detailed account of her experiences. What a yarn! Whew!
I think that a quality necessary to make a story this gripping is that it has all the elements that are common to the human experience - but with circumstances that make everything exaggerated. It is easy to identify with what these characters are going through, but at the same time, the situation is so unique as to stimulate the imagination and cause the viewer to see the world through different eyes. The story is both familiar and strange at the same time.
The acting was outstanding, especially the performance of the little girl who played Suzanne at age 6. It amazes me that a child so young could pull off a performance with this kind of depth and insight. I also loved the couple who played her foster parents - the foster father was just oozing with personality and character. The actors who played Peter and Margit did a first rate job as well.
I really wish I could find out more about the true story this was based on. My only criticism of the movie was that so many questions were left unanswered...Did the grandmother ever see Margit again? Did Suzanne ever again visit her Hungarian foster parents after her trip to Budapest at age 15? Did the culmination of this story really solve the family's relationship issues for good? Did Margit ever have the courage to return to Hungary and face the ghosts of her past? My daughter says that the mark of a good story is that it leaves you wanting more - so that must mean that this is a really good story.
After seeing it forthe first time, I watched the video 4 times before letting my daughter return it. I hope Eva Gardos writes a book about her life someday. I would be willing to read a detailed account of her experiences. What a yarn! Whew!