Tejút (2007)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Benedek Fliegauf

Writer:

Benedek Fliegauf (screenplay)

Awards:

4 wins

Also Known As:

Milky Way (Europe: English title)

Runtime:

Hungary:82 min (original version)

Country:

Hungary

Language:

Hungarian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Company:

Inforg Stúdió

This is not a movie. At best, you may use it as a screen-saver

For the first couple of minutes, I hoped that what I was seeing was just an appetizer - a very slow intro to make the main body of the movie more interesting or to make a contrast. It was the best part of the movie, since after the third scene I had to realize that this was indeed the main body of the movie, without any visible story, point or order.

I only gave 2 points because the photography is fine, so the experience is like you would be in a photo exhibition with big prints and you would watch each of them for 7-8 minutes (but you can't walk and set the time you want to spend at a photo*). And this is why I would choose Milky Way as a screen-saver - if you watch it randomly for a minute, you may even like it. It could also be useful in a Chill Out party where you are not forced to watch it for 83 minutes (and/or in silence), but it is not a piece to be shown in cinemas.

I am sure, some people will say "C'mon, you just didn't get the point" or "Why should anything happen in a movie?" but I think even they wouldn't deny that if someone would just sit beneath the canvas instead of a chair in the auditorium and watch the audience nuzzling and trying to survive the movie, would have at least the same strength of experience or even a more unique one.

The director, Flieglauf Benedek said in an interview that this meant to be an experimental movie, so he was surprised that it won a prize in Locarno. My problem is, that I cannot see experimental (novel) things - there are good movies that can work without conversations and with very few cuts like "Unser Taglich Brot" or "Hukkle" (also photographed by Poharnok Gergely) but this one definitely cannot.

In Hollywood, filmmakers often try to hide the movie's emptiness by using an overdose of action and effects, Milky Way tries to do the same hiding by eliminating these but the result remains the same.

*After writing this comment I've read that they actually are making an exhibition based of the movie.