Les disparues de Valan

A very successful film noir , all the more somber since it takes place in the purity of a snow-covered landscape.

Although the viewer knows who the culprit is almost as soon as he appears ,it does not matter ,for the atmosphere is everything , always threatening and ominous ever since the impressive first scene :two plain-clothes policemen,acting as customers, enter a brothel where the prostitutes are minor girls ;it sets the tone for all that follows.

And the story is all the more poignant and gripping since one of the cops is deeply involved the story :might the frozen body they have discovered be that of his beloved sister who dIsappeared when he was only a teenager? And many other girls disappear in this God-forsaken doomed region .Some turn to religion ,for it seems that evil dominates the souls ,hence the uncle's help for the desesperate people who want to confide in somebody.

The screenplay is complex, the story is slow-moving , but it will keep you glued to your chair till the very end;well acted.

Without hungarian subtitle, I didn't understand the half of the movie, but the plot was exciting and unexpected

The biggest advantage of this movie is definitely its climate. The poor as well as almost abandoned rural area of Transylvania provides with a difficult and intriguing atmosphere. The story is well written but at some points predictable. I recommend watching it especially if you are into crime dramas.

Valan is one of those movies where atmosphere completely dominates over story and characters. It is very dark; the 'good' characters are all mentally unstable, and everyone else is completely neglectful at best. The shots of the raunchy cityscape, and the snow-covered mountain scenes shot from above set the vibe really well. Some of the scenes, like the one where Miklós offers a beer to the protagonist, or when the local police chief is found stone drunk in his office are hilarious, and they go really well with the atmosphere of the movie. Acting is not particularly good, and the dialogue is pretty mediocre. There is a crime story which is slowly uncovered by the lead character, but you can never really get invested in it. You know right from the start that it is going to be something very dark and pointless; I was not even interested in getting an answer to questions you would ask in a typical crime story (like who and why etc.). All in all, Valan is only slightly better than an average movie, but if you look at it as an attempt to give us an insight into the long decay of a community, it is near perfect.

Totally worth it to watch it. I suggest it to the ones who loves crimes. it contains all the elements that a good crime should contain.