Halfway Home

Saw this at the Imagine film festival 2023 in Amsterdam, at the final "best of..." day, denoting that it was well received by most festival goers. Interesting romance in very unusual (that is: for a Romance) location. For a Horror, a location like this is not uncommon, yet there is a considerable difference with a "normal" morgue. In short: this movie is different in duplicate, and a pleasant surprise as well, notwithstanding the morbid location where most actions will take place.

This usually unwelcoming location is absolutely not scary, especially after midnight, and populated with very friendly people. Yet, it is not completely devoid of fear, however, as there is one scary person, dressed in dark red and wearing welding glasses, becoming more important and fiercer as the story progresses.

The story develops along very unexpected lines, bringing original turns of events, keeping our attention from start to finish. Movie is not labelled as Horror, remarkable given the morgue as main location, instead correctly marked as Fantasy and Romance. An unusual combination of love, death and humor.

I love to indulge and plunge myself into the worlds of different nations enjoying the reflections of life, thoughts sculptured in their cinematic. Being a Hungarian, our creations are extremely dear to my heart.

Átjáróház is something different than our usual productions. There is a sense of a slight line where one can feel that well, if there had been some more thoughts, creativity, money being put into the work, well, then the whole experience could be taken to one step higher.

Átjáróház is nothing like that. From the very first frame till listening to the final music-track, you don't even think on such things.

The engagement in the story is guaranteed all over the playing time. Perfect shots with perfect timings, very well chosen themes in music with fine-tuned dynamics.

The weird, mostly untouched part of life, which is death, are walking hand-in hand with the world's most known and desirable essence, which is love.

Love and death are weaved into the story, grounded in an ever-present, ancient, more than just earthly truth that without sacrifice there is no true and even eternal love, in such a way, that our 21st century mind can comprehend, can think and can understand the message. Spiced with an intelligent, well dosed humor.

The life of these two individuals being in the focus of the move is framed into a much bigger reality; a reality, which draws many aspects and scenes from ancient times, different cultures in a really colorful settings, yet the main thing remains the main thing: the story line is straight, all of the auxiliary branches and scenes are only to help the strengthen the main message of true love withstanding all obstacles.

All energy, dynamism is kept up during the whole movie, with unforeseen twists and turns, such ones that makes the observer point out that this is a Madarász Isti-turn.

The cast is well-chosen, all what we see is a well directed play from all roles. The scenery, the colors of the real life contrasting the cold reality of empty and boring spaces pictured and resulted in a homogeneous experience from the viewer's point of view.

If you would like to emerge in a one and a half our experience in a half-real and half-fantasy world entertainment, this movie will be a perfect choice for this upcoming festive season of 2022 - and even further. :)