Sunset/Napszállta Movie Review - A Well-Made but Frustrating Hungarian Drama

Cast - Juli Jakab, Vlad Ivanov, Evelin Dobos

Directed By - László Nemes

Genre - Drama

A determined and vulnerable woman sets foot in the murky Budapest during 1913 to work for a hat store. She is Irisz Leiter (an Emma Watson lookalike Juli Jakab). We come to know that this store was initially established by her late parents who died in a fire inside the premises. The Leiter store was rebuilt and is now run by Oszkár Brill (Vlad Ivanov). We also come to know about Leiter's brother, who is believed to have caused the unfortunate fire. Rumour's say that he even stabbed Brill and was responsible for the death of a count. When Irisz comes to know about her brother, she decides to go around looking for him. 

For those of you who are unaware of the name László Nemes and his work (Son of Saul) are in for a surprise which, depending on the person, can be rewarding or downright tedious. I was unfamiliar with this director, and so I went in completely blind and surrendered myself to his vision. 

The movie establishes its style during a breathtaking opening sequence which begins with Irisz's closeup after which the camera closely follows her from the confined rooms to the noisy crowd outside. The dusty streets of Budapest routinely change in the background while our main protagonist walks through them. With disorienting camera movements and Mátyás Erdély's gorgeous cinematography, Sunset looks warm and mostly engaging. I loved the way certain characters entered and exited the frame making it look like a well-choreographed play unfolding on a stage. Major props to the costume designers for conjuring such beautiful dresses and elegant hats contributing to the authenticity of the setting. 

But how long can one admire the superb production value when the interest starts fading from the plot and goes back to your watch? Sunset is well-directed, acted and stunning to look at but gets frustrating to watch after some time. It beats around the bushes and seems to go nowhere in particular. Even when it decides to pick up in between, the graph goes down after a while, which results in a letdown of what could have been a very captivating movie. I wanted to love and hold it tightly in my arms but found myself relentlessly disconnected and distanced.

Many may argue that a second viewing might be beneficial as I could have not "get" the film. I agree, and it may entirely be possible. But Sunset is the kind of film which I don't think I would visit again anytime soon or ever.  

Rating - 2.5/5

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