A Long Weekend in Pest and Buda

Although Hungarian filmmaker Károly Makk is not all that well known in America, this touching drama may bring him a wider audience. Ivan is an elderly man who was forced to leave Hungary during the 1956 uprising, settling in Switzerland to live out a relatively happy life, until an unexpected phone call from Mari, his former lover, brings him back to the homeland he abandoned decades earlier. While the Communist Hungary he left behind was a repressive and grim place (he was jailed by the authorities at one point), post-Communist Hungary seems to be even worse: a morally and legally corrupt environment where people are more interested in ripping off others than rebuilding their shattered society. Much to Ivan's surprise, he learns that Mari was a less-than-loving companion during the height of their affair. To give away more would spoil the impact of this moving and often surprising story, but what can be noted is Makk's marvelous vision of Hungary's past and present, as well as the touching performances from Ivan Darvas as the returning exile and Mari Torocsik as the woman he left behind (both starred in Makk's 1971 classic Love), who brilliantly convey the emotions of love-scarred people who grew older but not wiser. Highly recommended. (P. Hall)