Katalin Varga (2009)
Banished by her husband and her village, Katalin Varga is left with no other choice than to set out on a quest to find the real father of her son, Orban. Taking Orban with her, Katalin travels through the Carpathians where she decides to reopen a sinister chapter from her past and take revenge. The hunt leads her to a place, she prayed eleven years prior, she would never set foot in again.
A brilliant haunting film set in Romania, Transylvania to be precise. Katalin Varga showcases some of the countries breathtaking beauty and quaint, almost timeless, rural villages. The use of mobile phones seemingly at odds with the horse and cart mode of transport Katalin uses for her travel. Once you have stopped staring in awe at the luscious scenery you become almost mesmerized by the performance of Hilda Peter as Katalin. She gives a multi-faceted performance making the character strong, seductive, yet vulnerable and horribly alone even though she is with her son throughout the movie. For the rest of the characters director Peter Strickland used local actors, some who had never actually acted previously and they all perform with understated perfection.
The film is deliberately slow paced allowing the viewer to, if not appreciate Varga's actions then sympathise with them as we see how past events have ruined her life as well as giving her, her beloved son Orban, despite this the film is not a sentimental weepy. When violence occurs it is brutal, short and to the point, and almost feels out of place, adding to the films realism or should that be surrealism.
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