David O'ConnellKATALIN VARGA @ The Melbourne International Film Festival
July 29th 2009 05:40
A sobering, often daringly-told tale of revenge, Katalin Varga is the Romanian debut of British-born director Peter Strickland. Hilda Peter plays Katalin, a woman in remote Romanian Transylvania whose long-withheld secret has been uncovered by her husband: their 11 year old son Orban (Norbert Tanko) is actually the product of a rape committed by two passing strangers.
Forced from the village in shame she heads off through the Carpathians in her horse-drawn cart, under the pretense of visiting her sick mother before she dies. Secretly she harbors a very different objective: to track down the men who violated her and exact a clinical revenge. Avoiding demonization whilst steering his narrative into murkier grey areas, Strickland has whittled his film down to a succinct and compelling 85 minutes.
I was mesmerized by Katalin Varga and found it remarkable on a number of levels: visually, Strickland strips the film of any gloss or sheen, adopting a raw, earthy aesthetic. Certainly, this was less a result creative choice than budgetary restraint (the film was shot over 4 years for only 25,000 Euros) but it definitely works in its favour. The unusual location gives it an unworldly texture too, like stepping back in time; the use of mobile phones is the only indication that this dark fable has any sort of modern context.
I think the performance of Peter is also astonishing; I fully admit to being hypnotized by her. She has a striking though unconventionally beautiful, angular face with an identifiably dark, East European look about her. For me, she commands the screen in her feature debut. A scene where she recounts her violation in explicit detail to a horrified rapist, Antal (Tibor Palffy), and his blissfully ignorant wife aboard their drifting riverboat is a real standout. Portrayed now as a seemingly loving husband, the rapist is cursed only – ironically - by a childless marriage.
The use of music and sound is daring, and though unsubtle, provides a stunning aural accompaniment. Yes, it directly counteracts the naturalistic setting, heightening the drama to a level that may be considered pretentious and unnecessary, but again, I loved the sheer audacity of it. The atonal, eerie reverberations – at times exhibiting the qualities of a requiem - create a pervasive mood that saturates the film with a malignant foreboding. No doubt, many will find it overwhelming and, consequently, off-putting.
There’s something almost supernatural in the sense of impending doom, Strickland drawing dark inspiration from nature in conjuring a series of sinister motifs. There’s the forest for example, its impenetrable depths lingered upon in a couple of creepy scenes, almost like a projection of the inner tumult Katalin is wrestling with as her revenge becomes possible, as well as signifying the place of her assault.
Katalin Varga is a gripping, overpowering cinematic experience. It's brutal and uncompromising too in a couple of key scenes, offsetting the director’s unusual and manipulative stylistic approach. Undoubtedly it's an acquired taste and the whole revenge angle will be alienating to many, but there’s no denying the power of Strickland’s often startling imagery – one shot in particular will linger in my mind for a long time to come.
Forced from the village in shame she heads off through the Carpathians in her horse-drawn cart, under the pretense of visiting her sick mother before she dies. Secretly she harbors a very different objective: to track down the men who violated her and exact a clinical revenge. Avoiding demonization whilst steering his narrative into murkier grey areas, Strickland has whittled his film down to a succinct and compelling 85 minutes.
I was mesmerized by Katalin Varga and found it remarkable on a number of levels: visually, Strickland strips the film of any gloss or sheen, adopting a raw, earthy aesthetic. Certainly, this was less a result creative choice than budgetary restraint (the film was shot over 4 years for only 25,000 Euros) but it definitely works in its favour. The unusual location gives it an unworldly texture too, like stepping back in time; the use of mobile phones is the only indication that this dark fable has any sort of modern context.
I think the performance of Peter is also astonishing; I fully admit to being hypnotized by her. She has a striking though unconventionally beautiful, angular face with an identifiably dark, East European look about her. For me, she commands the screen in her feature debut. A scene where she recounts her violation in explicit detail to a horrified rapist, Antal (Tibor Palffy), and his blissfully ignorant wife aboard their drifting riverboat is a real standout. Portrayed now as a seemingly loving husband, the rapist is cursed only – ironically - by a childless marriage.
Hilda Peter as Katalina Varga
The use of music and sound is daring, and though unsubtle, provides a stunning aural accompaniment. Yes, it directly counteracts the naturalistic setting, heightening the drama to a level that may be considered pretentious and unnecessary, but again, I loved the sheer audacity of it. The atonal, eerie reverberations – at times exhibiting the qualities of a requiem - create a pervasive mood that saturates the film with a malignant foreboding. No doubt, many will find it overwhelming and, consequently, off-putting.
There’s something almost supernatural in the sense of impending doom, Strickland drawing dark inspiration from nature in conjuring a series of sinister motifs. There’s the forest for example, its impenetrable depths lingered upon in a couple of creepy scenes, almost like a projection of the inner tumult Katalin is wrestling with as her revenge becomes possible, as well as signifying the place of her assault.
Katalin Varga is a gripping, overpowering cinematic experience. It's brutal and uncompromising too in a couple of key scenes, offsetting the director’s unusual and manipulative stylistic approach. Undoubtedly it's an acquired taste and the whole revenge angle will be alienating to many, but there’s no denying the power of Strickland’s often startling imagery – one shot in particular will linger in my mind for a long time to come.
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Comment by Matt Shea
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Comment by David O'Connell
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