Sátántangó

At the Q&A after his 7 hour, two intermission American Cinemateque screening, the late and great Béla Tarr was asked by a USC student if he saw any similarities between his filmmaking and that of Andrei Tarkovsky’s. I remember his answer was notably kind. “Tarkovsky was a Christian,” he said. “So in his films when it rains, the characters are made clean again.” He smiled and paused. “In mine, the rain just drives them all further into the mud.”

This film is a special experience. And contrary to popular belief, the cat was not harmed in its making.