1945 (2017)

12 August 1945, 11 AM. Two mysterious strangers dressed in black appear at the railway station of a Hungarian village. Within a few hours, everything changes.

Director:

Ferenc Török

Writers:

Gábor T. Szántó, Ferenc Török

Stars:

Péter Rudolf, Bence Tasnádi, Tamás Szabó Kimmel

6 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Péter Rudolf	...	Szentes István, a jegyzö / Town Clerk
Bence Tasnádi	...	Szentes Árpád
Tamás Szabó Kimmel	...	Jancsi
Dóra Sztarenki	...	Kisrózsi
Ági Szirtes	...	Kustár Andrásné / Mrs. Kustár
József Szarvas	...	Kustár András
Eszter Nagy-Kálózy	...	Szentesné Anna / Mrs. Szentes
Iván Angelusz	...	Sámuel Hermann
Marcell Nagy	...	Sámuel Hermann fia / Son of Sámuel Hermann
István Znamenák	...	Állomásfönök / Station Master
Sándor Terhes	...	Iharos Pál
Miklós Székely B.	...	Suba Mihály (as Miklós B. Székely)
György Somhegyi	...	Ifj. Suba Mihály / Son of Suba Mihály
Tünde Szalontay	...	Rózsika
Béla Gados	...	Pap / Priest

Storyline

12 August 1945, 11 AM. Two mysterious strangers dressed in black appear at the railway station of a Hungarian village. In the shadow of Russian occupation, the people of the village are preparing for the wedding of the son of the clerk, but the bride's former fiance returns from captivity. Within a few hours, everything changes. Secrets, sins, reckoning, love, betrayal, confrontation.

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Plot Keywords:

stranger in town | guilt | secrets | year in title | holocaust | 

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Taglines:

Some Secrets Can't Be Buried

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Hungary

Language:

Hungarian Russian

Release Date:

1 November 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

1945

Filming Locations:

Hungary

Box Office

Budget:

€1,467,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,412, 5 November 2017, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,006,193, 13 January 2019

Company Credits

Production Co:

Katapult Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

For the role, Péter Rudolf gained 33 pounds (15 kg)

User Reviews

Compelling, understated drama from Hungary about the aftermath of the Holocaust in one small village

This subtitled Hungarian drama is highly reminiscent of one of Spencer Tracy's Oscar-nominated outings, Bad Day at Black Rock. When a stranger comes to a small town, people start assuming he's got a worrisome agenda, and they start scrambling to cover their guilty secrets. In this case, the small town is in post-war Hungary. Two Jewish men get off a train, carrying boxes, and trekking through the village. No one knows why they've come, and many have reasons to fear a return of the Jews who used to live there, before their properties were confiscated and redistributed when the Nazis sent them to the camps.

One man is guilt-ridden over his role in the incarceration of former friends. Others are hell-bent on keeping whatever they obtained, rather than having those former neighbors or their relatives recoup what was taken.

Like the Tracy film, this one is shot in black-and-white, and presented tersely, leaving room for viewers to fill in the spaces between the lines and actions. The absence of color, which I usually dislike, seems appropriate here, linking it to familiar newsreel and fictional depictions of the era. It also highlights the bleakness of life in the aftermath of all the horrors World War II wrought throughout Europe, on the battlefields and beyond. Living with one's inner demons can exact a toll on collaborators, as well as combatants.

There's not much action, and no archival footage. This one's all about the residents, the choices they made, and the varied consequences therefrom. A serious film for serious viewers. Although the specifics of the plot are rooted in the Holocaust and its after-effects, the responsibility and accountability of individuals in the midst of such political tides is a timeless and vital theme.