Natural Light

Hoped for a good, Hungarian war film. Well, that's not it. I was excited to see it since I first saw the trailer. I had high expectations I guess. I wasn't expecting to see battles or Hollywood level spectacle. I kind of knew this will be a slow burn and restrained production, but nothing prepared me for the utter boredom, that I have experienced. Though being boring isn't the biggest sin of this film. It's the very very bad acting. I don't know if people who don't speak Hungarian could perceive this aspect. As a native speaker I can tell you listening to the lines delivered here was torture to my brain. Like they filmed only one take of every scene and said, good enough. The only cast member who felt like a real human being and wasn't totally out of place, was the protagonist. He was believable. And that's the only positive I can say. I can't recommend it.

How on earth can this movie have a rating of more than 6!? This synopsis is totally overselling the movie:

"World War II, occupied Soviet Union. István Semetka is a simple Hungarian farmer who serves as a Caporal in a special unit scouting for partisan groups. On their way to a remote village, his company falls under enemy fire. As the commander is killed, Semetka has to overcome his fears and take command of the unit as he is dragged into a chaos that he cannot control."

There's no "fear", there's no "chaos". Nothing happens!

It's a waste of time...

The international title for this movie is "Natural Light". The story takes place in the area of Saltanovka, Belarus. Coincidentally, this area is already famous for an important battle that took place in 1812, i.e. The french invasion of Russia. This movie however is about a hungarian corporal, which serves in the German troops during WW2. I actually think that these troops may have been part of the SS, whereby it was their main task to keep control of the areas after they where conquered by the german army. Itbis actually a difficult "war" against the remaining resistance - i.e. Partisans - whom hide in the woods in the eastern countries of the Nazi controlled area.

I think that this movie very well portrays what war in these occupied woods - against the Partisans - is about. Due to the mud, swamps and (oftentimes) rain, it is very slowgoing, whereby trust, food and water are main items. It also causes normal human behavior to slowly slip away, making place for a need for survival combined with evilness. This whereby even women and children are not spared from getting hurt. Through the eyes of the corporal, we will get a small impression of what it may have been like.

Due to this movie wanting to portray this type of warfare as close as possible, this results in a very slowgoing story. This whereby long periods of "basic survival" alternate short periods of intense action when contact is made with the Partisans. So please be warned that this movie is not the typical movie filled with lots of talking and events. Instead, the amount of talking is minimal. Actually, it is more about human deeds, in an area where "laws" are determined by the people themselves.

I think this movie is an excellent portrayal of this type of warfare, which took place for almost 4 years in these areas. I think the words "hunting humans" is the best way to describe what happened in the woods during WW2.

The acting, props, vehicles, scenes, ... are all pretty decent. I really got the impression that I was watching events that looked like having taken place during WW2.

I am personally not aware of many other movies that try to portray the fight between Nazi controlled troops and the Partisans. I can only think of either "Defiance" (2008), with Daniel Craig in the lead role, or the very impressive "Wolyn" / "Hatred" (2016). Both movies however are seen from the viewpoint from the Partisans and/or the local population. What makes "Natural Light" unique is that it takes the viewpoint from the side of a hungarian soldier that fights for the german occupier...

I score this movie 6.7/10, resulting in an IMDb rating of 7 stars. I think this movie is a very relevant one in understanding this type of warfare that took place during WW2. It really is contrary to the "Blitzkrieg" that many think about when they talk about WW2.

The film presents the psychological aspects of war in a slow and intimate way. Dark, colourless, lethargic - just like these soldier's life behind the front lines.

It pays a clear homage to Malick's Thin Red Line and Klimov's Come and See but manages to remain fresh and original.

Finally we have a great hungarian war movie which is brave enough to confront Hungary's controversial participation in World War 2.

If you apreatiate films like "Come and see" or "All quiet in the western front", well, this film is for you.

The movie achives some serious undertones that are difficult to find in most movies, it is amazing, really. It maintains the raw nature of a war film -the cold photography, the stoic characters, the desicions they make- while imlpying, in some gestures, some landscapes or some dialogue, something more conflicted. And that is, the layers and layers of guilt these people carry.

I personally love when a film capture these two dimensions: you have to read between the lines but, at the same time, it doesn´t mean that you have to overanalize every little thing. Some things are just display in certain ways and you grab them or don´t. That´s it.

Beautifuly done.