Fateless

[NYadgal]

Posted: 1/29/06 at 9:53am

Has anybody seen this film yet? I am going to see it this evening at the Film Forum. Any thoughts on the film?


OFFICIAL SELECTION - BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL 2005
Fateless is a deeply moving tale of a Hungarian Jewish boy and his quest for the meaning of his past. It screened in Official Selection at Berlin, 2005.

Based on the 2002 Nobel prize-winning novel by Imre Kertesz, Fateless chronicles the attempts of 14-year-old Gyuri Koves to reconcile the unimaginable horror of having been incarcerated in German concentration camps. On his return to Budapest Gyuri finds those around him treat him with indifference. His friends and neighbours encourage him to put the past behind him, while an intellectual sympathetic to the personal and political terror of his past repeatedly refers to the camps as "the lowest circle of Hell". Gyuri finds neither comfort nor meaning in these cliches. Increasingly troubled by the meaninglessness of his experiences, he gives human motives to the inhumanity of his captors, which helps maintain his tenuous hold on the world. Lacking emotional and spiritual ties to his Jewish heritage and feeling rejected by his country, he concludes that neither his Jewishness nor Hungarianess is really at the heart of fate.

The directorial debut of acclaimed cinematographer Koltai, this sweeping, profoundly moving drama offers a new perspective on one of modern history's darkest junctures, as 14-year-old Gyurka is shuttled between the death factories of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Buchenwald and Zeitz - all the while, maintaining his stubborn, stoic belief that 'There's nothing too unimaginable to endure'. Vast in scale, yet boasting a remarkable historical detail, and with a sweeping score by Ennio Morricone, this is a work of immense compassion, unlikely beauty and shattering power - a true testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

[broadway86]

Posted: 1/29/06 at 12:40pm

Haven't seen it yet, but I really want to. The reviews have been amazing.

[Sing a Song With Me]

Posted: 1/29/06 at 1:02pm

It sounds extremely interesting to me. I'm rather hoping to see it soon myself.

[beacon1]

Posted: 1/29/06 at 6:07pm

Addy, I really look forward to your review of this.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 1/29/06 at 11:54pm

I will post a review when I can compose my thoughts.

I have to process it first... it was shattering.

And one of the most moving films I've ever seen.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 12:11am

I read the book 3 years ago when he won the Nobel Prize for lietrature and found it deeply moving. I look forward to seeing this film.

The title in Hungarian actually means "Fatelessness," a subtle difference.

Updated On: 1/30/06 at 12:11 AM

[NYadgal]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 12:12am

We were talking about that following the film. Fatelessness.

I believe this book has just been bumped up to the top of my reading list.

Updated On: 1/30/06 at 12:12 AM

[Sing a Song With Me]

Posted: 1/30/06 at 7:45am

A shame that the reviews continue to note it's "from the autobiography of the same name." I suppose it could come down to a matter of personal preference, translating the word into English, but there does seem to be a difference between the word fateless and fatelessness.