L'étrangleur

Difficult to watch, but excellent portrait of an era where denial was the best crime policy.

Some scenes are gruesome and disturbing, but crime, specially, serial crime is not glamorous.

Quite a find, this one, shown apparently at the London Film Festival last year, this seems not to have had a theatrical release, outside Hungary. Bleak and disturbing, this is an uncompromising look at what we are told is a true story going back to the late 50s/early60s. There is some attempt to set this horror within the political upsets of the time but I have to say, at least to an outsider, these seem rather unconvincing. Not so the main thrust of this daring film, however, which certainly visits areas not often visited in tales of brutal serial killers. The film begins with great style and carefully composed scenes and ends similarly with beautiful period vehicles and street posters, the rest of the film though is not pretty at all and the harrowing tale is realistically told in dark and subdued lighting with nothing too pretty at all. Very impressive but not an easy watch.

I just want to congratulate all the creators of this movie. It kept my attention from the first second to the last and never ceased to be interesting throughout the movie. Well done!

Strangled or A Martfüi Rém (The Monster from Martfü) is based on true events and tells the story of a Hungarian serial murderer/necrophiliac in the 1960's. It's an interesting story to follow, but it's also not the most captivating movie about a psychopath like him, nevertheless it's a well made movie. The murder/rape shots are a bit graphic and that makes the movie look real, without being too disgusting to watch though. The acting wasn't bad. I didn't know any of the actors but they all did a good job. You can't help thinking that research and justice were not the greatest things in that era in that country. I don't think I watched a lot of Hungarian movies before but this one is worth a watch.

Because I think , that is the first Hungarian film I've ever watched ! Definitely , well made : really makes you feel , how claustrophobic and vulnerable people were in this particular time and place .