Csicska

Rural life in Hungary and its associated conventions are so rough and, one might say bleak, that this dark film is sure to stay in the memory. Here, in the absence of any modern comfort, violence in every form has taken on the role of lingua franca. With everyday lives dominated by poverty and a lack of prospects, civilisation appears to have faded away. Only a handful of scenes carry a trace of laughter, yet even these rare occasions augur badly. Nevertheless the camera doesn’t play the voyeur, instead dissecting the social neglect in such a sober fashion as to make for, at times, difficult viewing.