Smells Like a Romanian Extradition

Director: Peter Strickland
Main Cast: Hilda Péter, Norbert Tankó, Tibor Pálffy

You may well try and run from your past, but eventually it’s gonna catch up with you – sometimes slapping you in the face as it goes. Katalin Varga lives a relatively normal life in the village of Visrek – that is, until her deepest darkest secret is revealed. Shunned by her husband, she flees with her son. There are no options left – Katalin has to rake back through the painful, but distant, memories of 11 years ago; leading her along a surprisingly destructive path. Written, directed and produced by Peter Strickland - this is an impressive, albeit short, feature debut.

DVD Release Date: 22nd February 2010

Would that you could tinker with your brain – so past events could be erased, or lies could be conveyed with ease and conviction. It seems that Katalin has been living a lie for some time now and we’re introduced to her character just as the façade has slipped. Her husband clearly loves her, but can’t bring himself to look Katalin in the eye – much less so, his “bastard son Orbán”. In their small community news travels fast, so there is no getting away from the fact that this once solid family unit has been shattered into pieces, never to be reassembled.

A haggard and drawn Katalin loads her few belongings onto the back of a cart and spurs her horse forward. Telling her son that they are off to visit her sick mother, they slowly depart and begin to pick their way through the Carpathians. The countryside is wild and beautiful – a lush green landscape that swallows the insignificant sight of the two travellers. In essence, they are now as free as the magnificent birds that swoop and glide overhead. But, by this stage, Katalin is carrying so much emotional baggage you can almost see her wince with every step she takes towards her destination. What is not clear to Orbán, or to the audience, is where she is going.

We follow mother and son through day and night – from village to village. They room with strangers – kind and protective people who get themselves into trouble by harbouring the fleeing couple. Katalin is on the run for more than one reason – her initial exit was forced, she now seeks “jubilant and bloody revenge”, but she is also being sought; it seems the police are shadowing her every move.

Her heavy thoughts are not restricted to waking hours alone – instead they crackle and intensify in her dreams. Time and time again we are presented with the picture of a peculiarly empty forest at night. However, it is the accompanying soundscape that jars – a hollow disjointed wail that builds to an excruciating peak; the kind of score that would sit comfortably on a horror film. And when Katalin confronts the first of two men that have wronged her, ‘horror’ is a word that again springs to mind. There is a frenetic nature in the point of view used beside the dancing flames – a sequence that not only reveals further truth, but brings a greater level of pace to the film.

Despite being a basic equivalent to a road movie, it often feels like there is more inaction than action, as the drama unfolds very gradually. And despite being set mainly during daylight hours, it also feels very dark – based on the moody subject at hand and a restrained performance from Hilda Péter. With its stark visuals and eerie music, Katalin Varga isn’t designed to offer a cheap scare, but rather a much deeper psychological haunting.

Country of Origin: Romania
Running Time: 82 mins
Certificate: 15