All in all, a movie can be enjoyed or not. There are definitely good ones, definitely bad ones, and there's middle ground. Liza the Fox-Fairy is middle ground. I'd say it's exactly on the boundary, but it's a little bit on the bad side. I found it very boring and dull, despite its technical perks.
The idea of an alternative Hungary in the 1970s presents an interesting idea itself, but it's not taking the movie all the way. The characters are decent, and so are the artists portraying them. Gábor Reviczky as the police chief is however just as dull as the movie itself. The plot has a lot to offer, but fails to deliver. There are very good elements and moments in this movie, but it never becomes a whole. It also fails to deliver the usual playfulness of Hungarian movies, the feeling of "a little bit yellow, a little bit sour, but still ours". It's a movie from East Europe not for East Europeans, but too East European for the rest of the word.
I seriously don't understand the hype about this one. I could not enjoy it. There is no deeper meaning, nothing under a thin (or not so thin) layer of cultural snobbism. Tension is nonexistent, there is no reason to wait for the next scene. It all goes nowhere.
At the end of the day, I am sorry for every minute I spent with this movie. It is exactly like a Mekk Burger with a plastic clown. Also, the outcome is very obvious when the Sergeant enters the plot. (Who is actually an Ensign in the Hungarian original - the English subtitle is very poor.)
The idea of an alternative Hungary in the 1970s presents an interesting idea itself, but it's not taking the movie all the way. The characters are decent, and so are the artists portraying them. Gábor Reviczky as the police chief is however just as dull as the movie itself. The plot has a lot to offer, but fails to deliver. There are very good elements and moments in this movie, but it never becomes a whole. It also fails to deliver the usual playfulness of Hungarian movies, the feeling of "a little bit yellow, a little bit sour, but still ours". It's a movie from East Europe not for East Europeans, but too East European for the rest of the word.
I seriously don't understand the hype about this one. I could not enjoy it. There is no deeper meaning, nothing under a thin (or not so thin) layer of cultural snobbism. Tension is nonexistent, there is no reason to wait for the next scene. It all goes nowhere.
At the end of the day, I am sorry for every minute I spent with this movie. It is exactly like a Mekk Burger with a plastic clown. Also, the outcome is very obvious when the Sergeant enters the plot. (Who is actually an Ensign in the Hungarian original - the English subtitle is very poor.)