György Fehér – Szürkület aka Twilight (1990)

adminMay 20, 2012

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A former inspector on his last day with the department is called in to investigate a child murder. A suspect soon confesses to the crime, but knowing that the confession came only after the man was browbeaten in a relentless, 20-hour interrogation, the inspector’s keen police instincts tell him that the man is not the real murderer and that there is a serial killer at work, with the girl’s murder being related to other child murders that occurred in the area. However, he is alone in his assessment and the police close the case.

Having made a solemn promise to the parents of the murdered girl that he would find the culprit, the inspector abandons his previous plans and continues investigating the case as a private citizen. He is warned by a psychiatrist that the murderer he seeks might not exist, and thus he might drive himself mad with his obsession in finding the man…

IMDB Comments:

If you like to see what movies are really about (i.e. moving)you should see szurkulet. This highly original and intense film is an exercise in style ‘pur sang’. The story is loosely based on ‘es geschah am hellichten Tag’ by Friedrich Durrenmatt. But how the story is told is the most important part here. In a shadowish black and white twilight we see the story unfold in very (and I mean very) slow moving breathtaking camera movements over different scenes. This means that the whole movie exists out of less then 50 shots, without making unnessecary cuts. Orson Wells eat your heart out. Every scene tells the viewer another part of the puzzle and so the story gets you more and more in its gripping way of telling the story. For movie fans this is a must-see because this movie is the only movie I’ve seen which has stripped a picture to its bare essentials.

Seeing this film was one of the most memorable cinematic experiences I have ever had. The extremely slow movement of the camera across stunning black and gray scenes was mesmerizing. Over time, it induced a kind of trance-like state that intensified the mysterious and sinister atmosphere of the film. The minimalist script was well served by the reflective and melancholy main character, a detective attempting to solve a tragic crime in a remote and desolate rural area. The overall effect was much like a strange, haunting dream with many emotional layers. I loved the film and hope I can see it again on a big screen one day!

I saw this movie a long time ago, just after it’s release. Don’t remember much of the story anymore, except that it’s about a detective who’s looking for a child-kidnapper.

What I do remember is the beautiful camera-work and the very slow shots. Never seen anything like this. The very slow camera-movements and the extreme length of the shots make this film hypnotic. The landscapes are breathtaking.

A remarkable film…