Sunset – Napszállta (2018)

Directed by: László Nemes | 142 minutes | drama | Actors: Susanne Wuest, Vlad Ivanov, Urs Rechn, Evelin Dobos, Juli Jakab, Mónika Balsai, Judit Bárdos, Levente Molnár, Björn Freiberg, Julia Jakubowska, Zoltán Cservák, Balázs Veres, Marcin Czarnik, Christian Harting, János Fancsika, Péter

The last feudal empire in Europe lost out in the First World War. Austria-Hungary was thus a kind of evening country in 1913. In this year ‘Sunset’, the successor to ‘Son of Saul’ by László Nemes, will play. Dark sepia tones as in that film, dealing with the Holocaust. Furthermore, a costumed world as a stage, viewed from the perspective of a young milliner (July Jakab), who applies for a job at the Budapest company that once belonged to her parents.

They died when this Irisz Leiter was two, in a fire that destroyed the millinery shop. The new owner Oszkár Brill (Vlad Ivanov), kept the name Leiter. Irisz is hired and viewed with suspicion, because her missing brother is said to have set the fire, and it turns out that he also worked in Brill’s business. An existential drama, therefore, as in a historical novel, but what is captivating is the focus on the provoked Irisz, who seems to have a role in every scene and as protagonist considers the downfall of a corrupt aristocracy.

We are watching from behind the scenes, and that is exciting – especially because of the exquisite staging and the lively decor. The stubborn Irisz, who grew up as a foster child outside Budapest, has the main goal of finding her brother, something Leiter’s status-conscious staff don’t listen to. They prefer to recruit female workers to outsource them to the Viennese court, while the truth is hidden behind beautiful hats.

The atmosphere in ‘Sunset’ is that of Stephen Frears’ ‘Dangerous Liaisons’, in which the costume also stands for appearances. ‘Sunset’ is a psychological drama, and only indirectly a historical drama, although the war is in the air. Or not? For those who look closely, Irisz’s quest is a vehicle in a larger story: she is a messenger of modern times. The world keeps spinning, while a woman resists. It takes a remarkably long time for this anomaly to clear up.