Viharsarok (2014) Reviews

• Extremely powerful, moving and poignant. Unmissable.

  RichardvonLust2015-04-17

  Although the themes in Land of Storms are well worn and familiar, this incarnation of the ills of homophobic society is particularly effective at alerting us to the madness of it. It is beautifully made both artistically and dramatically - in many ways it might even be a masterpiece of emotion. Szboliks hails from a small village in Hungary. He is a young professional footballer in a small German league team where he finds himself the subject of unsolicited attention from a fellow player, Bernard. There is a scuffle but the German team mates support Bernard over him and the young Hungarian is beaten to the extent that he returns to his home village. There he meets a young builder, Aaron, and eventually a sexual bond forms between them. But their parents and local community are vehemently opposed to any alternative lifestyle and their relationship appears doomed from the start. Eventually Bernard arrives for a visit and the stage is set for a compelling drama of refuted love and jealous passion. The performances from all characters are solid and entirely convincing. The script is perhaps a little labored but the tension created through the story is so strong that all other considerations are cast aside. The ending is both shocking and poetic - and the story is essentially true. A must see for all eclectic film lovers.

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• Stadt Land Fluss with More Intimacy

  a000308642015-05-05

  Essentially Stadt Land Fluss with more sexual content in it but the movie was also moody, intimate and the ending took me by complete surprise. The movie took awhile to get rolling but that is typical of European movies (i.e., no action scene within the 1st minute as in American movies needed to keep the audience from leaving the movie theater). All 3 actors in the movie were believable and into their roles. If those 3 boys are straight, they deserve an award. You could conclude it was East European homophobic but; rather, Aron could not move on without freeing himself of Szabolcs and the guilt after his Mother's death - he was addicted to Szabolcs. That has nothing to do with geography nor homophobia, in the end it is selfish love for ones self over all others and in its worst form. Aron could not come to terms with whom he was.

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• a Hungarian story

  Kirpianuscus2016-12-29

  the basic sin of this film could be the well known story. the virtue - the nuances of this well known story. because, against the similarities with Brockeback Mountain, the comparison with many other films about the same theme, it is a film who has its individuality. the fragile success in Germany, the links with the past, the new life and the secret who becomes obvious, the reaction of community to a fundamental sin, the symbols - the old house as one of the most powerful -, the bitter poetry are small but significant pieces who transforms an ordinary story about homophobia in a special pledge for tolerance. and this is the important thing. the silence, the relations, the victim, the image of happiness and error. so, a film who can not be reduced at the basic theme. and this is the great thing - to present, using the right tone, a forbidden love story. the rest is silence.

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• Love and tragedy in rural Hungary

  Laakbaar2015-02-28

  This is a quiet Hungarian movie about Szabi, a gay lad from rural Hungary. He befriends a guy on his soccer team in Germany (Bernard), but then gets sent home when they have a fight in the shower. Now back in his grandfather's old house in the country, he runs into Áron, a beautiful, handy young man who helps him repair the old house he's living in. One thing leads to the next, and he and Áron enter into a relationship. Áron is confused but eventually accepts his gayness. At this point Bernard shows up again, and things get complicated. He was in love with Szabi all along. Inexplicably forgetting all about gorgeous Áron, Szabi hops into bed with Bernard. However, after some awkward moments, in the end Szabi chooses local boy Áron (of course!) After seeing these beautiful young men in this idyllic setting, one wonders why everyone goes to Budapest when the action seems to be out here. The themes here are coming out, finding love and homophobia. Yes, the same themes as Brokeback Mountain. Parents and the town find out about it all, and their reactions are not positive at all, especially towards Áron. Things get ugly and violent and tragic. I thought the whole thing was very well done, and fairly interesting, although a little on the melancholy side. This is not a zippy American production. It's very much an Hungarian movie but I suspect Hungarians might cringe at this portrayal. I think it's important to remember that if the film had been set in Budapest, the story would have had a very different outcome. Rural Hungary here is a moral landscape, like Brokeback Mountain or an American small town in the 1950s. It's sometimes hard to dispel the mistaken notion that gay people lead tragic, doomed lives. Movies like this don't exactly help. However, a movie about happy gay people leading ordinary lives wouldn't be much of a movie. There wouldn't be any story or character development. At least now we understand that the tragedy befalls them not because they're gay (e.g. the sex things are shown quite positively and beautifully in this movie), but because of homophobia. This movie has that message too. It seems to be a story that filmmakers need to tell over and over again, in different settings and in different contexts. Bad things happen to gay people, yes, but it's not because they're gay. It's because they are persecuted. If Shakespeare were alive, he'd be telling the same story. It's too perfect.

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• Original and Surprising Hungarian film of gay love

  t-dooley-69-3869162015-04-18

  Two boys are talented football players in Germany Szabolcs is from Hungary and his best friend Bernard is German. Then after a particularly unfruitful game, Szabolc decides to return to Hungary and live in the broke down farm that he inherited from his grandfather. Whilst he had rejected his homosexual urges in Germany - once he gets home he meets Áron and for him it is a game changer. The thing is it is also a game changer for the whole community. To say any more may be veering in to plot spoiler territory. Needless to say there are depictions of homophobia here. Some may say that we have seen it all before, but films like this need to be made to address the still pervading attitudes in many countries and communities towards LGBT people. Filmed in Hungarian, German and a tad of English with good sub titles. This is done using an original story line, a group of talented actors and a lot of warmth. The decisions that some of the characters make may be questionable, but I am pretty safe in saying that we all have made mistakes in our lives. I found this to be engrossing, sensual - in parts - and ultimately moving; this is for lovers of gay cinema in all its parts.

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