Sátántangó

1994 Director Béla Tarr

This is Tarr's epic seven and a half hour long film dealing with the dissolution of a farming commune following the collapse of the communist regime and with it the subsidies that kept this community alive.It is adapted from a novel by Laszlo Karsznahorkai and took two full years to film. The story is presented through a series of chapters of varying lengths presented in a tangoesque sequence. Hence the name "Satan's Tango".

Tarr employs a series of very long shots, some up to 20 minutes in duration and a variety of techniques to make the viewer feel present in the scene. In some instances the shot is static with action being heard off screen only. In others a shot is held on a character for 5 minutes after the action is complete. After spending so long in the company of these characters the viewer can not fail but to empathise with their plight.

A stunning film and well worth the effort although it can easily be watched chapter by chapter without detracting from the overall experience.