Fateless (2005)
"Sorstalanság" (original title)

14-year-old György's life is torn apart in World War II Hungary as he is sent to a concentration camp where he is forced to become a man, and learns to find happiness in the midst of hatred, and what it really means to be Jewish.

Director:

Lajos Koltai

Writers:

Imre Kertész (novel), Imre Kertész (screenplay)

Stars:

Marcell Nagy, Béla Dóra, Bálint Péntek

5 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marcell Nagy	...	György Köves
Béla Dóra	...	Smoker
Bálint Péntek	...	Pretty boy
Áron Dimény	...	Bandi Citrom
Péter Fancsikai	...	Older Kollmann boy
Zsolt Dér	...	Rozi
András M. Kecskés	...	Finn
Dani Szabó	...	Moskovich
Tibor Mertz	...	Fodor
Péter Vida	...	Lénárt
Endre Harkányi	...	Old Kollmann
Márton Brezina	...	Younger Kollmann boy
Zoltán Bukovszki	...	Zoli
Gábor Nyiri	...	Hedge
Jenö Nagy	...	Jenö

Storyline

An Hungarian youth comes of age at Buchenwald during World War II. György Köves is 14, the son of a merchant who's sent to a forced labor camp. After his father's departure, György gets a job at a brickyard; his bus is stopped and its Jewish occupants sent to camps. There, György find camaraderie, suffering, cruelty, illness, and death. He hears advice on preserving one's dignity and self-esteem. He discovers hatred. If he does survive and returns to Budapest, what will he find? What is natural; what is it to be a Jew? Sepia, black and white, and color alternate to shade the mood.

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Plot Keywords:

jewish | hatred | bus | concentration camp | death | 

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Taglines:

You can close your eyes. You can turn away. But you will never forget.

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some disturbing Holocaust images including nudity, and brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Offcial site Official site [hu]

Country:

Hungary Germany UK Israel

Language:

Hungarian German English Yiddish Hebrew Polish

Release Date:

10 February 2005 (Hungary)

Also Known As:

Fateless

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Box Office

Budget:

HUF 2,500,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$12,680 (USA) (6 January 2006)

Gross:

$195,888 (USA) (28 April 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hungarian Motion Picture Ltd., Magic Media Inc., EuroArts Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min 140 min 134 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Oktogon is the junction of two major streets in Budapest - Nagykörút (Grand Boulevard) and Andrássy út - and is so named because of its octagonal shape. There is a major Metro (underground) station there.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: [narrating] I didn't go to school today. Well, if only to ask my teacher to let me go home. I gave him father's letter. He asked what the reason was. I told him father had been called up for forced labor.

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Crazy Credits

Flash v. Schwabenland, Production Dog

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Soundtracks

"Holdvilágos éjszakán (On a Moonlit Night)"
Music by Mihály Eisemann
Lyrics by István Zágon
Sung by the four boys when the group is in transit

User Reviews

Really surprising from an American perspective

I saw this on a trip recently to Hungary and i have to say that I was really impressed. It stands up against the bigger movies made regarding this subject, and it stands proudly. It didn't try to tackle the enormity of the Holocaust as one user suggested, rather it tried (and succeeded in my opinion) in tackling the story and fate (or lack thereof) of a young Jewish- Hungarian boy during the second world war. How would one explain this sudden shift in reality to a boy who is still in the process of maturing? How much can he possibly understand? When the ordeal is finished, could anything be "real" again afterwords? I thought the subject matter was challenging enough for it to warrant a second viewing. Marcel Nagy is spectacular, the director chose an amazing face and voice for the part, the character's attitude towards what's happening is shockingly mature and disaffected. He doesn't break down crying, or screaming , "why?!", he simply accepts that this has happened and tries to deal with it almost entirely inside his head. he is an introvert, speaking softly, and politely to those around him. he doesn't ask too many questions because he already thinks he knows all the answers. and these terrible answers are projected to the audience with the use of his powerful blue eyes, and his vital facial expressions. (There are two scenes I think where the boy looks directly into the camera and makes eye contact with you, the audience and I almost burst out crying..) the look of the film was what made the rest so sublime, the grays and blues were so dis-enchantingly beautiful, and for you that it's somehow immoral to make a 'holocaust' film as beautiful as this one keep in mind the colors and look reflect only the beautiful mind of the boy. best way i could describe this is a 'dreamy nightmare'. there are no acts of violence (some minor, but no guns mowing down innocents like Schindler's List), just a quiet, reflective look at the human condition, which makes it especially relevant today, especially back here in the States... I think the main problem people had with this film was they were expecting something... a little more dramatic, while this is a very quiet, very slow film that will appeal to those who work on those frequencies....