A Hungarian youth comes of age at Buchenwald during World War II. György Köves is 14, the son of a merchant who's sent to a forced labor camp. After his father's departure, György gets a job at a brickyard; his bus is stopped and its Jewish occupants sent to camps. There, György find camaraderie, suffering, cruelty, illness, and death. He hears advice on preserving one's dignity and self-esteem. He discovers hatred. If he does survive and returns to Budapest, what will he find? What is natural; what is it to be a Jew? Sepia, black and white, and color alternate to shade the mood.
Cinematography
Sepia bleeding into color mirrors moral degradation
Direction
Koltai refuses easy catharsis or villainy
Writing
Imre Kertész's autobiographical novel resists redemption
Director
Lajos Koltai
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Kertész refused to call this 'Holocaust literature,' insisting it was about the 'density' of a single life. The film honors this by making the camps almost routine.
Marcell Nagy was 14 during filming, same age as György. He later said he understood nothing on set, which Koltai considered perfect for the role.
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