A Long Weekend in Pest and Buda (2003)

A Long Weekend in Pest and Buda • Egy hét Pesten és Budán (2003)

Genre: Drama
Director: Károly Makk
Starring: Mari Töröcsik, Iván Darvas, Eszter Nagy-Kálózy
Duration: 86 min.
Rating: 7.2  

Summary:

Decades have passed since Ivan had a passionate fling with Mari, and he's now married and living in Switzerland. But when an urgent phone call brings him back to Hungary, he's swept back into her arms and her secrets.

A Long Weekend in Pest and Buda is a Hungarian film directed by Károly Makk.  It reunites Makk with Mari Töröcsik and Iván Darvas, the stars of his 1971 film Love, over 30 years later.  Although not a sequel, the film does use various scenes from Love and also Zoltán Fábri's Merry-Go-Round in flashbacks.

It's an interesting story that explores modern Hungary and the ties to the past that many still have.  Ivan (Iván Darvas) now living in Switzerland is prompted to return to his native Hungary, after decades of self imposed exile to visit Mari (Mari Töröcsik), an ex-lover who is gravely ill.  While there he is confronted with secrets from the past and also troubles of the present that will change his life.

While it is well acted and has a smart screenplay that plays out unpredictably, I was a little bit disappointed because I was hoping for more of an homage or continuation to the great characters from Love.  I can't really blame the director for failing to fulfill those expectations though and this is still a good film that stands pretty well on it's own.  The only real issue I had were with a couple random acts of violence that occur.  Perhaps they are a statement from Makk about the state of things in modern Hungary, but they are inconsistent with the subtle tone of the film. 

It's a worthy effort with some touching performances but isn't a must see film by any means.  Recommended mostly for fans of Hungarian cinema or those familiar with Central European history. 

— Bonjour Tristesse