Közel a szerelemhez

Közel a szerelemhez is one of my favorite love stories I have ever seen in Hungarian movie history. The film tells a story a love between a young, a bit simple-minded but lovable policeman (beautifully played Ferenc Hujber) and a Chinese immigrant girl. The two characters speak no common language, the only tool of communication between them is the international language of love. It's delightful how their relationship develops, how Karcsi overcomes his fears and prejudices and totally fell for the girl, even protects her from his own stupid colleagues.

The score and soundtrack of the film is excellent, the music by Anima Sound System just perfectly fits in the atmosphere of the film.

The only disturbing factor in the movie was that the Chinese character is played by a Japanese woman. Couldn't they pick a Chinese girl for the role? Or did they think that Hungarian audience were not able to make a difference anyway? Anyways, if you come across this movie, don't miss it!

I watched this Hungarian film on 2002 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. Beforehand, I read some texts about it, and also some awards credits. However, it turned out to be disappointing.

The film is adapted from the very same director's short story. I wonder what the main goal is and why the director used "this way" to tell his story. We see a country-based young adult came to a city, became a policeman, and met a Chinese girl, so called Maria, by the way, starred by a Japanese actress, which drove me crazy just listening to her accent and expressions. Each scene is hardly connected ever since it faded in black. Those characters are not expressive at all, that I could never tell what they're going to do or the motives why they did those things. I can only see in fractions how Karcsi's crazy about Maria and those conflicts and the suicidal action.

Maria (excuse me, her Chinese is so bed that I can't understand her name, not to mention to memorize it) is weirder: I couldn't tell what she was doing or if she's an illegal immigrant as her first show-up in that factory (?), and I don't know why she kept coming back to Karcsi then left him again and again. I think the later scene of the sheltered Chinese restaurant and karaoke may explain that, but still failed. Is she a whore? Is it because of that, she walked away from Karcsi? I can't tell.

And Karcsi's two friends are strange, too. When they showed up at the first time in the car, I thought there would be more parts of them, but they're just some unreasonable typical dramatic villains to tear the loving couple apart. I even don't understand the reason: she's really a whore? Or they suspected she's a whore? Any racial discrimination involved? I don't know.

I don't want to be too critical, but maybe the director is not clear about visional language; what should be seen and what should be spoke in internal monologue. He's probably interested in Chinese or Oriental cultures, but doesn't know how to show them in a film or a novel. Or maybe it's the English subtitle's fault. Who knows? In short, I assume it should be a struggling love story between two different races, but the fact is that the story itself is broken, the characters are not clear and the plots are inconsistent.

Nevertheless, the music in this film is great ad amusing, although it's not that suitable.

As unlikely as a romance between two people who share no common language may seem, "Kozel a szerlemhez" provides an entertaining, if not wholly convincing, portrayal of how it could happen.

The naivette and utter ingenuousness of the main character carry the film along its unlikely path. The fact that his new love doesn't speak his language does not phase him in the least bit. The scenes where they attempt limited communication are charming and add to the warm lightheartedness at which the movie most succeeds.

There are a few abrupt, tense scenes which jump out from the main story, but overall I emerged from the theater with a smile on my face and fond thoughts of this delightful film.