Hukkle (2002)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

György Pálfi

Writer:

György Pálfi (writer)

Release Date:

14 November 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Drama

Plot:

Using almost no dialogue, the film follows a number of residents (both human and animal) of a small rural community in Hungary...

Plot Keywords:

Old Man | Hiccup | Murder | Rural Setting | Bug

Awards:

16 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Ferenc Bandi	...	Csuklik bácsi
Józsefné Rácz	...	Bába
József Forkas	...	Rendõr
Ferenc Nagy	...	Méhész
Ferencné Virág	...	A méhész felesége
Mihályné Király	...	Nagymama
Mihály Király	...	Nagypapa
Eszter Ónodi	...	Városi anya
Attila Kaszás	...	Városi papa
Szimonetta Koncz	...	Városi kislány
Gábor Nagy	...	Városi kisfiú
Jánosné Gyõri	...	Postás
Edit Nagy	...	Pásztorlány
János F. Kovács	...	Vízhordó fiú
Mihályné F. Kovács	...	A vízhordó fiú anyja

Runtime:

78 min

Country:

Hungary

Language:

Hungarian | Czech

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Hungary:14 | UK:12 (video) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Ozora, Hungary

Company:

Mokép

Trivia:

This is Hungary's first-ever film with a Dolby Digital soundtrack.

A triumph of minimalism

This film challenges the idea that we need dialogue to define human interaction, or even interaction between humans, animals and the environment. There simply is no dialogue, just a bit of murmuring in the background and some singing near the end. It may sound boring, but isn't because you are constantly wondering what will happen next.

The movie covers the life of a small Hungarian village during the course of, more or less, one day. You see the people, the animals, underground, underwater, in the air, everything. Camera angles are exploited relentlessly to show every little thing, from a car door being unlocked to a fish striking at a swimming frog.

Because of the lack of dialoge, many things are up to the viewer's interpretation. One person may come up with a completely different view of what happened in the movie than another, even if they were watching it together. I watched this with my girlfriend, the red-haired queen of late night cinema, and we had a terrific argument over our differing opinions on what exactly had transpired in the movie. During the argument, she seized a burning stick from the fireplace and commenced beating me with it to emphasize her point, thereby proving the supremacy of a piece of wood over well-constructed film criticism.

This film should be seen by anyone who enjoys experimental film in any way, or simply wants to see something different but not boring. It is not over-repetitive, nor is it slow moving in any way. I applaud the director who can not only conceive of such a movie, but execute it in an interesting and watchable way.