The Prefab People

Bela Tarr's gripping cinema vérité-like drama about a working-class couple in 1982 Hungary is so painfully real that it's almost unendurable--the strife and the stress of their relationship is likely to leave viewers thoroughly wrung out whether they share the couple's problems or not. After an intense opening scene depicting a screaming argument that concludes with the husband (Róbert Koltai) storming out of the little apartment he shares with his wife (Judit Pogány) and their two young children, the film flashes back to explore what transpired to bring them to this dire point. It's a litany of depressingly universal woes: she not only gets no relief from her endless housekeeping and childrearing chores while he goofs around with his friends, but her sobs of anguish and halting attempts to explain her pain are met by his stony incomprehension in long scenes raw with grief and bitterness. The Prefab People offers no grand resolution, only dismal, repetitious routine with little hope of change, but while it may not be a fun film to watch, it's certainly an impressive and powerful one. Boasting a so-so DVD image--with some dirt and scratches--and a booklet as the sole extra, this is recommended. [Note: Tarr's The Outsider and Family Nest are also newly available on DVD.] (M. Johanson)