Praça Moscou

The film tries to capture all the facets of the Hungarian history in 1989. It tries to represent the change from the point of view of young high school students.

All the Hungarian people till 1988 lived in a lie. One year later everything was destroyed. Forty years of socialist culture fades away in some weeks. The opressing forces of the Soviets leaves the country and leaves the country as it is. A country without future, without any ideas, how to go on, how to raise from the dust.

I would recommmend the film for those, who like controversy and for those, who are very open for human feelings.

It's mighty difficult for me to write a useful recommendation for this movie. Headed home after a party at around dawn I still stop for the odd freak-burger at Moszkva Square or Moscow Square, at the very place that you can see in the movie. And I recognize so much from my own memories from my own high school times, even though the youth of the film are not exactly my generation, it's almost too much to me. The point where this closeness of the film peaked was when I even discovered the guy running this DVD rental place about two minutes from where I live, in a minor role in the cast.

So, for your information, the most important thing to note might be that this film is very authentic. If you want to see the socialist/post-socialist transition for whatever it was, check it out. This is what it felt like, this is us (Budapest, Hungary, at the time). I cannot describe these things in fully rational terms. Perhaps you can. Enjoy the benefit of insight, you're guaranteed to have it.

First of all, I'm Hungarian. And I just happened to be a student at the time of the fall of communism. I think that this movie has captured it all. Every scene reminds me of something, every scene is a hit. The dialogues are perfect and the acting is surprisingly good (for newer Hungarian movies!). The last line of the movie sums up the whole feeling of this era.

Best movie, lots o' fun!...but only if you have the same experience as me. You have to be a young Hungarian to enjoy this movie. Otherwise, you just won't get it. You'd think it's slow, clumsy, low on moral etc.etc... But that's the way we were!!! A direct hit. Go see it, it will help you see things from another point of view!

On Saturday I managed to find a 'mozi' that showed this film with English subtitles. Fortunately I would say, because this is a nice film. I was a little ill that day, but I found myself running after tram 6 at Margit híd (Margaret's bridge) in the freezing cold to get to Moszkva tér (Moscow square) where I live.

As you may guess, I'm not from Hungary, but it was nice to see this film and get a glimpse of Hungarian youth around the transition time in 1989. Of course, it's hard to judge for me if their image is correct, but I felt it was. We see high school students in and after their exam time, showing no interest whatsoever in what is going on around them, except for when it concerns material stuff.

A nice moment is the (assumed) bed-scene in Paris during the television-broadcast of the news of Kádár's (the communist leader) death. Afterwards the Moscow Square Cowboy returns, to live his life in McDonald's in Budapest. The iron curtain dropped, the West opens and the youths flee out.

This film is excellent in so many ways it is difficult to contain my emotions about it. I'm an American who speaks Hungarian well enough to follow the film. This film does not have English subtitles on the Hungarian DVD release, which is an incredible shame, because it is priceless. It illustrates youth apathy and confusion under both the communist system and during the post-communist transformation better than any film I have seen. Moreover, unlike Goodbye, Lenin!, with an intricate and contrived storyline that takes 2.5 hours to unfold, this film runs more like "La Haine" and/or "City of God (Cidade de Deus)" without the violence. It follows some teen friends around Hungary, etc., while the transformation comes about. It is absolutely priceless and should be mandatory viewing in any social science classes on post-socialist transformation -- if a version with English subtitles can be secured. Stellar, stellar, stellar film!