Eszter (Judit Meszléry) and István (Andor Lukáts) are lovers. Both are married (not to each other) and have children. And it’s all right.
There are a few things that did strike me in this 1980 movie as unusual. At least, unusual for the Eastern Bloc cinema of the time. First of them is the aforementioned all-rightedness of an extramarital affair. The film doesn’t judge István and Eszter (or, for that matter, anyone else). While “don’t ask, don’t tell” arrangements with their spouses seem to be working, none of the protagonists is eager to change the status quo. Maybe tomorrow. Or maybe never. There are scenes of rare tenderness between Eszter and her husband Gábor (István Szőke) as well as between István and his wife Olga (Eszter Szakács) which make the latter scenario much more plausible*. At the same time, István’s extended family in a small village simply accept Eszter as István’s lover.
Secondly, there’s no plot in a classical sense of exposition-climax-resolution, no flashbacks and no character arcs. The narrative is as linear as a Roman road. It’s just a few days in life of Eszter and István from the time point A to the time point B. The time points are cleverly chosen though.
Finally, there’s no film score, in fact no music at all (unlike the trailer below), which I find refreshing. That’s what I call true realism, as opposed to socialist realism. In real life you don’t go around accompanied by a specially composed soundtrack, do you?
Watch it — if you can find it.
Majd holnap closes the cycle of “lost and found” pictures of Filmoteca Canaria.
| * | I find it curious that the first names of the actors playing Eszter’s and István’s spouses are István and Eszter, respectively. I don’t think it has any deep meaning, probably just an in-joke. |
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