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★★★
Directed by: Szabolcs Hajdu
Written by: Szabolcs Hajdu
Starring: Orsolya Török-Illyés, Szabolcs Hajdu, Lilla Sárosdi
The conversations in Szabolcs Hajdu’s Treasure City (aka Békeidõ) are intense and involving. Hajdu avoids the traditional method of using the combination of over-the-shoulder and close-up shots for exchanges. There are close-ups, all right, but they make you a part of the discussion. The camera holds a face for a long time as if comprehending every word coming out of the person. It turns the viewer into an active listener. You are so embroiled in the conflicts of the characters that you feel the tension rising with each passing moment.
In the very first scene, we drop in on a woman, Kinga (Orsolya Török-Illyés), trying to understand why a girl, Dorottya (Fanni Wrochna), has a tendency to sprout lies in every situation. This entire portion informs us that Treasure City would contain adept handling of dialogues. Not only that, even the actors deliver with such proficiency that you get hooked to their words. You hold your breath with trepidation when a mother Angéla (Lilla Sárosdi), begins arguing with a florist (Enikö Molnár). Later you experience shock when this mother’s husband hits her on the head. She has a daughter (Magdó Pálfi) who introduces witchcraft into the narrative. This is where the film slips a bit as the supernatural element feels out of place from the rest of the setting.
Hajdu, undoubtedly, uses Treasure City to exhibit the tribulations between the Hungarian government and its citizens. He channels his rage via a group of activists. But this political adversity can be metaphorically seen in the parent-child relationships. Angéla takes advantage of her daughter to fulfill her requests. Inside a restaurant, she sends the waiter to inquire why the man sitting behind her is looking at her. She does so by saying that her daughter feels uncomfortable. Then there are the parents played by Szabolcs Hajdu and Nóra Földeáki who quarrel over their son (Ábel Krokovay). Both think they know how to handle the boy, but he just keeps on disconnecting from them.
The film opens with a Thomas Bernhard quote - “As if just then everything was possible: the ugly approaches the beautiful, and vice versa, the ruthless and the weak.” This quote distinctly echoes in the scene where a director (Árpád Schilling) takes an unpleasant turn with Dorottya in the car. The ruthless meets the weak.
For all its technical bravado and fine showmanship, Treasure City falters because the characters don’t come across as lived-in sentient beings. They appear as creatures manufactured solely for the requirement of this particular night. You don’t believe they would continue to exist after the end credits. Movie over, suffering over. Their form, their problems start and finish with the film. This undercuts the effect to a certain degree, especially when you consider that ending where a car runs in circles as if to say life goes on despite your troubles and difficulties. What an irony!
In Cinemas From Friday 18th June, 2021.
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