You can tell stories very nicely. – Tall Tales METU Film Review

Director Attila Szász and screenwriter Norbert Kölbi, similarly to their previous joint works (The Ambassador of Bern, Demimonde, Eternal Winter), take their viewers into a historical era.

The thriller has formed into a very characteristic creation with its romantic thread. The elements of film noir already suggested by the poster are not refuted in the film itself. We can all recognize its striking features: the anti-hero Balázs is a bit clumsy, average character. Judit, the femme fatale is clever, strong and seductive. Bérces represents the role of evil in the film. The atmosphere is expertly constructed, enhanced by music, cuts, and camera angles.

The film’s plot begins in the confusing aftermath of World War II, when Balázs Hankó takes advantage of the gullibility of wives, parents and family members of soldiers by telling the same rogue story over and over again. “We served together, your husband was a hero!” The victims are, of course, grateful for the information they are provided about their loved one, and Balázs takes this gratitude for granted, and has no intention of rejecting it. With the first few scenes, the basic situation and the historical-political background are established. However, during a con, Balázs gets into trouble, and he is forced to flee – this is how he ends up in the woods, where he meets Judit and the woman’s son.

The film’s femme fatale doesn’t believe the refugee’s tall tales, not even for a moment. She is a strong-willed woman, left without a husband. She raises her son, keeps the house tidy and hunts to have some income – all at the same time. She has already passed on her outstanding personality to her son Virgil, who is a determined and fearless child. The two still needs a third person, so they hesitantly, but accept Balázs Hankó. An idyllic romance develops between the two adults. Judit tells Balázs that she considers her husband to be a terrible man, who has abused her and their son in the past, and that she is afraid of him.

The husband we’ve heard so much about, returns home unexpectedly, and spends some time with Virgil before meeting Judit or Balázs. The child believed the tall tales and tells his father what he learnt – Balázs was a comrade of his heroic father. By the time the couple reappears and finds Virgil and Bérces, the husband has a clear understanding of the situation. From these moments on, the film becomes truly tense; Bérces plays his role in the tall tale – he acts as if Hankó‘s stories were true. Everyone except the little boy knows it’s an act, but Judit and Balázs play their parts out of fear.

It is at this point that one of the film’s crucial dilemmas arises: who is right, and yet who should we support? Balázs Hankó is a cheater and a scammer, but we feel that he is not thoroughly bad. He is a little bit odd, but he stands by Judit, and would never hurt her. On the other hand, Bérces is known to have beaten his family, he is scary, mysterious and masterfully manipulative. Balázs is not perfect either, but his mistakes are dwarfed by Bérces’s character. Judit herself finally asks Balázs to kill her husband while hunting. After all, Bérces is an obvious source of danger.

What would we do in such a situation? We feel Balázs’s hesitation all the way through. Is Bérces telling the truth when he suddenly opens up to Hankó and claims that the war has changed him – or is it just a lie? For Balázs, this is enough to back down, but he is subsequently compelled to prove Bérces in a murder case. At this point, it becomes apparent to the viewer that Bérces is masterfully lying. After the case is closed, Bérces warns Balázs to get away from his family.

However, the endgame is yet to come. Fear, incomprehension, and the prolonged moments create a tension that strongly affects the viewer. The slow-moving events draw the viewers into the mood and immerse them in the storyline. An interesting contradiction — arguably an incongruence — is that the film’s twists and turns are predictable after all. Pressure is generated by the lack of information and excitement, but the constant confirmation of our conjectures eventually kills this tension. As a result, the film’s final resolution does not offer an elevated state: the viewer is suddenly out of the mood and lets go of the story.