Felhö a Gangesz felett

A harrowing and unrepentant film about heroin addiction. Not much to describe here, the film speaks for itself. It takes place in modern day Budapest, Hungary, and follows an IT worker who cannot overcome his heroin addiction, while being helped by a woman (honestly, there is no reality or logic to explain why this beautiful and "together" woman would even give the time of day to a sh**t-in-his-pants junkie -but this is Balkan film-making, hence the suspension of character(istic) disbelief). Harrowing, unforgiving, shocking, and at times beautiful. Director Dettre deeply delves into the dark side of human psyche - definitely reminds me of Abel Ferrara (The Bad Lieutenant) films, while also featuring a character (the female) that represents hope, love, forgiveness, and the incredible turning of the moral blind eye. Not for everyone - this films contains numerous scenes of graphic nudity and full-frontal genitalia (male only unfortunately), and a really disgusting defecation scene. Definitely eastern European cinema fare. A typical American viewer would probably be turned off by the abysmal depression and melodrama of the film.

NotaBene: If you actually do have the courage to watch this film all the way through, keep in mind the incredible and ultra-realistic performance of the lead actor - when the film was released he was in a drug and alcohol induced coma and later died.

András, a troubled IT worker is facing heavy drug addiction problems when he meets up with Juli, a woman who is trying to escape from a failed relationship. The fraught and sensible two match up and try to manage their problems locked up in the apartment of András, hoping they can do what seems impossible, and perhaps see the clouds above Ghanghes one day...

The magnificent performance of the actors was not overlooked. In 2003, at the annual Hungarian Film Critics Awards the male and female actors were named the best male and female actors in Hungarian film-making of that year. By that time, Zoltán Ternyák had been in coma for several months as he was suffering the consequences of his real life alcohol abuse that hunted him for long years. Actually he never woke up again and died in 2003.