Interview from Montreal FFM
A Vertigo Media presentation of a Vertigo Media, Unio Film, Hungarian Television production. (International sales: Hungarian National Film Fund, Budapest.) Produced by Istvan Bodzsar. Directed by Peter Bergendy. Screenplay, Norbert Kobli.
Péter Bergendy. Hungary. 2012. 89mins
The reliability of an inscrutable Hungarian National Security officer is put to the test in post-1956 Budapest in "The Exam," a nifty little pretention-free genre item from helmer Peter Bergendy. Penned by Norbert Kobli, the pic's communist-cat-and-counterrevolutionary-mouse game is never excessively political, instead playing up the noir and mystery elements that ensure the film's main loyalty lies with entertaining its mainstream audience. Impressively shot on a small budget for Magyar TV, this was deservedly released in theaters first, and could go a similar route in other ex-Soviet territories. "Exam" should also pass the test for TV buyers worldwide.
The film had its world premiere in Karlovy Vary Film Festival 2012
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1756384/releaseinfo
Directed by: Péter Bergendy
Script: Norbert Köbli
Dir. of Photography: Zsolt Tóth
Music: Gergely Parűdy
Designer: Balázs Hujber
Editor: István Király
Producer: István Bodzsár
Production: UNIO FILM Ltd
Contakt: Magyar Filmunió / Hungarian National Film Fund
Starring: János Kulka, Zsolt Nagy, Gabriella Hámori, Péter Scherer
Péter Bergendy
Film Director
István Bodzsár
Producer
Gabriella Hamori
Actress
Norbert Köbli
Screenwriter
János Kulka
Actor
With a admirably taut atmosphere, Hungarian effort The Exam (A Vizsga) is a slick and polished genre piece that recently received it international premiere in the East of the West competition at Karlovy Vary.
There’s plenty of style on show here.
In communist Hungary during the end of the 1950s, András Jung is a National Security officer living in an undercover apartment posing as a teacher. Unbeknownst to him, his mentor Pál Marko is watching and listening to his every move in a flat across the street. Jung is undergoing a secret test to prove his loyalty to the state. Everything is running smoothly until Jung is shown to have a lover (who may be also be a counter-revolutionary.) As the night goes on, secrets will be revealed about all those involved.
There’s plenty of style on show here with some sumptuous set design that captures the art deco grandeur reserved for those who were in favour with the Soviet state.
It’s made all the more impressive when you consider much of the film is centred around one location as Bergendy stages some good action set pieces and cinematographer Zsolt Tóth manages to create a great sense of the claustrophobic. The acting is also commendable, with Nagy being ambiguous enough to create mystery and Kulka bringing a commanding presence as the elder NS officer.
Genre savvy fans may work out some of the twists long before they’re unravelled and the film isn’t really doing anything new, but with the likes of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy proving that paranoid chic is currently popular, it may pique the interest for arthouse distributors looking for a polished thriller to add to their slate.
Production company: Unio Film
Producer: István Bodzsár
Screenplay: Norbert Köbli
Cinematography: Zsolt Tóth
Editor: István Király
Main cast: János Kulka, Zsolt Nagy, Gabriella Hámori, Péter Scherer
2012 - Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (in competition) - East of the West
2012 - Montreal The World Film Festival
2012 - Palic International Film Festival
2012 - Ploiesti Golden Carpathian Film Festival
Trailer
