Kontroll

This is easily among the best movies I've seen this year. I have a mandate (assignment) from my film teacher to watch one or more films at the Calgary International Film Festival and write a thorough analysis of one. I intend on seeing several more films (would regardless) but I'm fairly decided that this will be the topic of my essay. What follows is not my essay, but a hashing out of ideas.

Kontroll is from Hungary, is in Hungarian with English subtitles, and stars a number of people whos names I can't pronounce.

The film opens with a disclaimer from the Budapest Metro Authorities declairing that the characters involved do not represent the actual Ticket Inspectors employed by the authorities. In an interesting turn, this disclaimer is used to introduce the central theme of the film and establish some of the "ground rules" of the film. The man from Budapest Metro explains that the characters are broad representations of the struggle between good and evil and the events depicted are symbols of this spiritual battle. We then proceed into a world that exists only underground, the land above being, to the main character, as unreal and distant as heaven. In this world below heaven people come and go, some drifting in and out without so much of a thought as to their surroundings while others lock in a battle for control with those in power. Our main characters are a posse of Ticket Checkers, the most hated men in Budapest. They struggle to maintain control in this world: maintain order, maintain control of their own lives, and maintain their personal authority. The tone vascillates widely between moments of spirited fun and dark humor as the posse attempts to catch a career vandal/fare dodger and moments of claustophobic intensity and insanity as a co-worker goes over the edge of reason.

There is more, much more, as the entire film is largely symbolic. I could go on about the metamorphosis of the love interest, the presence of a serial "pusher" in the system, the struggles between separate enforcer teams, and the bizzar sport of "railing" but I'm going to save that for my essay.

If you have the chance to see this movie, go. You will not be disappointed.

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