Review of Werckmeister Harmonies (2001) by Irvin C — 02 Aug 2013

Bela Tarr is one of the handful of major filmmakers I still haven't seen a single film from...until now. I had no idea what to expect since I had very little idea of the plot. Basically, it's about a young man running around doing favors and errands and in his town a giant stuffed whale shows up as a freak show attraction and causes chaos in small Hungarian town.

This film features some very elaborate long takes that's impressively directed and visually stunning. I don't know how much I'm missing in terms of the Hungarian history and culture and the many implications and subtexts of the story but what I saw was definitely something.

It's not for all tastes, for sure but it's a fascinating piece of film.