Mirage

Mirage is a film about modern day slavery in the Hungarian Puszta (a place screenwriter Jim Stark suggests never to visit). It is based on the experiences of the Director- and his Social Scientist friend- who had returned to the area where the director had grown up, to investigate how the socio-economic conditions had changed since the fall of Communism. When they returned, they discovered that armed gangs had infiltrated the area and enslaved some of the local populace, who were forced to do hard labour and suffer various hardships.

The film is grounded in the Western genre, which Hajdu (the director) explained, was chosen because it allows for numerous levels of symbolism and a variety of readings. It's certainly a film I appreciated a bit better after having listened to him speak about it, as opposed to immediately after having watched it.

Although there are moments of subtle humour in the film, a good description for western audiences would be that it is a less humorous, much more minimalist and slower-paced, very Hungarian version of Django Unchained. Apparently, the incorporation of a black hero in the film was the result of a mistranslation by an inexperienced translator. But they liked the idea and decided to run with it, according to the director.

Ivorian actor Isaach De Bankolé was brought into the fold by Jim Stark, as they had previously worked together on a number of Jarmusch films. Supposedly, when offered the main role in a "Hungarian Western" he is said to have replied, "why not?!".

The film tells the story of Francis. A football/soccer player from Ivory Coast, who has come to Hungary (possibly) to play for the Hungarian National team (i think), to which he has signed as a striker.

While being transported to a pub through what seems like endless wheatfields, from what seemed to have been a two-man town, on a rickety old steam engine run, by a geriatric engineer...an accident occurs. The decrepit conductor keels over and dies.

Francis manages to get the train to the next town, where he seeks help from the locals- only to find himself locked in a shed, frisked by the police, and handed over into what seems like a bizarre regime of slavery. He's now under the thumb of a small gang who has taken over a remote farming community, whose citizens have been forcibly enslaved.

The work they are forced to do ranges from menial labour to digging mafia-style toxic waste dumps and disposing of bodies.

Even though he is forced to do this hard labour, Francis never really becomes subjugated- despite having his most prized possession stolen from him by the gang's leader. The relationship with his slavers is tenuous, but he manages to retain a sense of freedom throughout. Evident from his willingness to fight back and help others. Making the whole story a tale of redemption.

Hajdu noted that he made this film as an homage to the late Hungarian director- and his personal friend- Milos Jancso (though it's also dedicated to his father).

This is certainly the first Hungarian Western I've seen, at least that I can recall. It wasn't really as action packed and exciting as I was expecting it to be going in. But there is an anarchic, 3-way gun battle in the latter portion of the film that renews your intrigue, granted it had been waning. While overall it's a little bit slow and minimalistic- which might turn some viewers off. In the end, it's not so bad when you are provided with a little background context. Don't expect a masterpiece of cinema or anything...but it's worth checking out if you want a little taste of Hungary. I found the use of multiple languages in the film pretty interesting, and was particularly impressed that they had built 80% of the set from scratch, including the train!

6 out of 10.

The Western genre is one that unofficially begins with the appearance of a hopeless wanderer. Engulfed by the depth of rugged terrain and unimaginable physical feats, the mysterious stranger is on the run; usually from their past. Miraculously, the stranger finds their way to a local tavern, hydrating and resting until the next stretch of their journey begins. What the stranger doesn't know though, is that their presence alone within the small town is one that usually sparks some sort of trouble for its citizens–prolonging their stay in the once quaint and unsuspecting town. In director Szabols Hajdu's film Mirage, Casino Royale actor Isaach De Bankolé is that stranger, who makes his way to a desolate, obscure Hungarian Prairie town run by Cisco (Razvan Vasilescu), a Hungarian gangster. Our stranger doesn't quite know what he's getting himself into when he introduces a little anarchy to Cisco and the sparse population of townsfolk.

Set in chapters, marked visually rather than written, one of the first things that comes to mind while watching Hadju's newest film is that what we're about to see is unlike anything we've ever seen before; which is usually good, but unfortunately for Hadju, doesn't fair well for us this time. mirage2

One of the many characteristics of the more obscure Eastern-European entries of TIFF's Contemporary World Cinema programme films, is that they tend to be very personal. Often times they are an unglamourous re-imagining of the childhood memories of many of it's directors. With Mirage, Hadju recreates his childhood rural town into a hallucinated nightmare of slaves, gangsters, oppression and greed.

In terms of story, Mirage is by no means a trend-setter. The narrative, typical to many, could be mistaken with many Westerns before it. It succeeds visually thanks to it's marvellous landscapes and vast emptiness, but overall becomes a clichéd attempt at highlighting the many fears and desires of the people unhappily nestled in the village.

Sadly, De Bankolé's hero is neither coward nor courageous. Instead, the lead, who is later known as Francis (De Bankolé) is suddenly taken into custody and put to work by Cisco and his herd of heavily armed followers, following a lengthy sentence in prison for fixing soccer games (suggesting the wanderer's short stint as a professional soccer player).

Mirage aims to be transfixing and spellbinding, giving moments of deep loneliness and hallucinatory mystery, done effectively by its lack of dialogue. Parched of the spoken word and the emotions of its sadly oppressed population, the film instead becomes a homestead we can't wait to vacate. Mostly odd and unnerving, Mirage develops to a wildly violent tale of ownership and power.

Though the film's narrative is insistent on becoming a modern day cinematic fable by a Hungarian auteur, Mirage's dream-like sequences give more insight on the film's plot through hallucinations, dreams and desire, proving that these scenes are more entertaining and enthralling than the narrative at hand. Mixing elements of the surreal with the very serious elements of racism, dictatorship, and equality, Hajdu's film deals mostly with the exploitation of the black man, Francis. One of the best characteristics of Mirage is it's ability to wish for a revisited viewing of other repressed characters in TIFF's previous films; 12 Years a Slave possibly serving as the most obvious choice.

Incongruent, unsettling, and atmospheric in every way possible, Mirage is a failed attempt to bring to light a corrupt part of a province within Hungary that may very well only be cared for by its director and the people involved with the production. Hadju, who tries various avant-garde cinematic choices, for example, cutting and fading away from somewhat entertaining action sequences while they are unfolding, delivers a wholly disruptive film that leaves not only it's characters parched, but also leaves its audience cinematically dehydrated, thirsty for something a bit more refreshing.