A porcelánbaba

It's not often that a film like this comes along. Three stories brought together to convey one universal theme so effortlessly. I was skeptical at first. Stories about miracles have been done a million times, and I doubted that this one would really provide anything different. But Porcelain Doll proved me wrong, and I was delighted. The film is as simple as it is complex, forcing the viewer to not only think, but to feel.

I didn't expect to be touched by the film as much as I was but I have recommended it to everyone I know and have watched it myself several times.

A must see.

I was careless enough to let myself dragged into watching this, without checking first what I would go to see. BIG mistake. In short: this flick didn't work for me at all. Big time. Now, just for context: no, I'm not an action-and-shiny-fx-only-please guy. Yes, I do quite like good "art" movies. I do like Kurosawa, I do like Tarkovsky. I do like fantasy, and movies with an unlikely premise. I can happily watch Stalker, or Dogville, or even the grass growing, or the paint dry, if I can relate to it. But this, I couldn't. Sorry to disagree with everyone else here apparently, but one hour into the movie I was seriously considering starting to mentally calculate decimals of Pi, just to get away from it. Why? Because what you are presented with here are several unrelated stories of "miracles", that don't go anywhere. No real connection between them, other than (presumed) common location. No context in time or space. Hardly any spoken dialog at all. No reason is given for the miracles happening. No reason is given for nobody seeming to be seriously startled by the fact that they are happening at all. No conclusion of their significance is drawn, at least none that I can see. No possible cause or source or explanation is given or even proposed for them. No thought provoking issue or question is exposed. Let's see... have you seen the starting scene of "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead" where the tossed coin comes up "heads" every time...? What if that movie abruptly ended right there, with that? What would that tell you? How would you relate to it? Would it be a great movie? - That's how I feel about this one. It just bounced right off me. I was just sitting there at the end, thinking "Wha...? What am I supposed to do with this?" Imagine watching a Picasso with a few random geometric forms on it - that's about as much sense as you can make of this flick. Unless of course it "clicks" for you, and you can fill it with your own answers and meanings. Well, I couldn't. It didn't even manage to touch me (emotionally), though I can see how it might, some of you (it does try, boy, it does...). If I ever TRULY and ABSOLUTELY wasted 90 minutes in my life, this had to be it. Utter crap as far as I'm concerned. Good luck to you if you still want to give it a try...

This Hungarian journey of magical realism is based on Ervin Lazar's collection of fairy tales "Star Farm".

The first tale concerns a mini-Olympics competition between a group of marauding soldiers and the villagers. Balint Pentek as Hotole is a real delight in this truly "magical" segment.

The second tale brings "big brother" to the farm. The villagers are told they own "everything here". They then ask that several villagers be brought back from the dead. The admonishment of "Don't tempt God" only foreshadows the supernatural denouement of this tale.

The third and last tale follows an old couple who escape the pogrom in their village and are taken in by the next village. Eventually caught up with, their supernatural solution can not be expected.

Definitely a mood piece (and an odd one at that), but don't set your expectations too high. Still, this is a good film festival movie.

Porcelain Doll is a film that will make you a believer. Although the stories in this movie are fairly different, they share a central theme of resurrection. And while the film may seem quite fantastical, the beautiful way in which the characters lives are woven together by a common bond of survival can only force a viewer to connect, rather than pass it off as just some majestic fairytale. The simple way in which Porcelain Doll paints a much bigger picture is what makes it such a unique and stunning film. And while a film about miracles, it doesn't need the big theatrics of Hollywood cinema to touch the heart and intrigue the senses. A must see for anyone with an open mind and an understanding of symbolism in the arts.