Praça Moscou

I just saw this movie in what I think is the only movie theater in Budapest playing it with English subtitles. Situated in Budapest in 1989, is the story of a group of fellow students at a secondary school, and their graduation in the transition times before the collapse of communism. Simple, fresh and and with an optimistic feeling. Maybe a little bit too innocent. It lacks from any long and slow scenes I was expecting from what I think is the first Hungarian film I saw. I won't say is anything brilliant, but I liked this refreshing view of the particular way of the Hungarian.

You'll probably go out of the cinema with a smile on your face.

The movie takes place in 1989 when I was 15 years old and thanks to my clear memories, I must admit that the director managed to catch the atmosphere of the period. It was a time of big changes, the communist system collapsed, a "great" Hungarian leader died while a very important historical character, Imre Nagy, executed after the 1956 revolution, was finally given the honor of being buried. The setting is also excellent, the movie really looks as if it was shot in 89. For foreign viewers however this film doesn't say much because it's full hidden of jokes that only we understand, for example when the boys are sitting in a cab singing the horrible Opus song Life Is Life and at one point in the lyrics they sing Levelet Kaptam Life, because in the 80s nobody knew what the singer says there. What I missed was the lack of the depth of the characters and the plot wasn't very strong either but we mustn't complain because Moszkva Tér is a massive standout in contemporary Hungarian cinema.

This film is excellent in so many ways it is difficult to contain my emotions about it. I'm an American who speaks Hungarian well enough to follow the film. This film does not have English subtitles on the Hungarian DVD release, which is an incredible shame, because it is priceless. It illustrates youth apathy and confusion under both the communist system and during the post-communist transformation better than any film I have seen. Moreover, unlike Goodbye, Lenin!, with an intricate and contrived storyline that takes 2.5 hours to unfold, this film runs more like "La Haine" and/or "City of God (Cidade de Deus)" without the violence. It follows some teen friends around Hungary, etc., while the transformation comes about. It is absolutely priceless and should be mandatory viewing in any social science classes on post-socialist transformation -- if a version with English subtitles can be secured. Stellar, stellar, stellar film!

The film tries to capture all the facets of the Hungarian history in 1989. It tries to represent the change from the point of view of young high school students.

All the Hungarian people till 1988 lived in a lie. One year later everything was destroyed. Forty years of socialist culture fades away in some weeks. The opressing forces of the Soviets leaves the country and leaves the country as it is. A country without future, without any ideas, how to go on, how to raise from the dust.

I would recommmend the film for those, who like controversy and for those, who are very open for human feelings.

On Saturday I managed to find a 'mozi' that showed this film with English subtitles. Fortunately I would say, because this is a nice film. I was a little ill that day, but I found myself running after tram 6 at Margit híd (Margaret's bridge) in the freezing cold to get to Moszkva tér (Moscow square) where I live.

As you may guess, I'm not from Hungary, but it was nice to see this film and get a glimpse of Hungarian youth around the transition time in 1989. Of course, it's hard to judge for me if their image is correct, but I felt it was. We see high school students in and after their exam time, showing no interest whatsoever in what is going on around them, except for when it concerns material stuff.

A nice moment is the (assumed) bed-scene in Paris during the television-broadcast of the news of Kádár's (the communist leader) death. Afterwards the Moscow Square Cowboy returns, to live his life in McDonald's in Budapest. The iron curtain dropped, the West opens and the youths flee out.