Katalin Varga

Colour, 35 mm
Romania, United Kingdom, Hungary, 2008, 84 min
Section: Horizons

Synopsis

Shadows from the past catch up with us all. When this happens to young Katalin, she is driven out by her husband and the whole village. She has no choice but to set off to find the real father of her little son Orbán. The long journey across the Carpathians takes her to a place to which she had vowed never to return. Memories of what happened years ago are reawakened and Katalin decides to take fate into her own hands. This almost classical tragedy about crime, punishment and also the legitimacy of revenge by debuting director Peter Strickland was selected for the main competition at this year’s Berlin Film Festival. The film, set in the environment of the Hungarian minority living in Romania, was a hit with journalists and the jury, which awarded it the Silver Bear for Sound Design. The treatment of atmospheric noise and the overall sound effects which superbly illustrate Katalin’s and Orbán’s passage through the Transylvanian forests, together with the classic beauty of the leading actress and the superbly constructed story, are among the most compelling aspects of this unique film.

About the director

Peter Strickland (b. 1973, Reading, Great Britain) has made a number of shorts; in 1992 he adapted and directed Kafka’s Metamorphosis for an amateur stage company. His best known shorts include the film Bubblegum (1995-96), screened at the Berlinale in 1997, which features a performance from former Andy Warhol superstar Holly Woodlawn, appearing in her first film role for many years. Together with a group of friends from his native Reading, Strickland founded the music-culinary group The Sonic Catering Band, which has released several records and performed live in various European cities. His feature film debut Katalin Varga, which saw him returning to Berlin after several years, was made entirely as an independent project over the space of four years. The film was completed with help from Libra Film, which funded the post-production. Peter Strickland is currently living in Hungary where he teaches English.