I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I sat down at my local art house theater to watch Nimrod Antal's 2003 film "Kontroll". I knew exactly three things: The film was in Hungarian, it was about subway ticket inspectors and it looked fairly intriguing, at least visually. I was soon pleased to discover that not only is "Kontroll" a visually stunning film, but it has a compelling story that can possibly be interpreted in several different ways.
"Kontroll" tells the story of a group of subway ticket inspectors who have the unenviable job of attempting to make sure that the subway commuters are holding the appropriate ticket or pass. Normally, their jobs are simply annoying, and somewhat psychologically disturbing; sometimes, however, it is physically dangerous and downright deadly. Particularly lately, when there is a phantom subway dweller in a black hood that is pushing people onto the tracks in front of approaching trains. "Kontroll", while showing most of the members of the subway crew, focuses on one crew in particular, headed by Bulcsu (Csanyi). Bulcsu's crew can best be described as a merry band of misfits; there is a man who gets into such rages that he puts himself into a narcoleptic coma on a daily basis, an older man who seems to be the voice of experience, the requisite hothead and the newbie. Bulcsu, who we find out the most about, (and it's not that much at that) has a mysterious past in which he seemed to be a professional of some sort, is working underground almost as a self-imposed hell, not even going above ground, rather resorting to curling up next to a pillar after the trains are finished running for the night and the lights go out. Not only is his coloring terrible, but also he begins to have horrible dreams, some involving a beautiful young woman in a bear costume, who he eventually meets up with and befriends. "Kontroll", while not having a completely defined storyline, (which is, honestly, part of its charm) is certainly a thought-provoking and compelling film.
Inevitable comparisons will be made to Danny Boyle's "Trainspotting", from the gritty surroundings to the thumping techno soundtrack, but while I honed in on these similarities immediately, "Kontroll" has enough originality to be more than a clone or even a pale imitation. This was the first film I've personally seen surrounding the underground world of subway inspectors, and the story, though at face value may carry an immediate "who cares" stigma BECAUSE of its subject matter, is really quite good and is further bettered by the performance of Csanyi. Looking like a Chris Noth clone on the tail end of a two-week bender, Csanyi is able to give his character sufficient appeal and depth despite the fact that we never really know who he is and what his deal really is.
As I've stated, "Kontroll" leaves a lot to the imagination, and there are several elements of the film that could point in the direction of the theory of purgatory and the duality of man's psyche. Or, it could just simply be a slick, stylish and entertaining film about the subways of Budapest. Whichever way you choose to approach the film and its various themes, if you can find it (as of the present it has not been released on DVD) "Kontroll" is definitely worth seeking out. 7/10 --Shelly
"Kontroll" tells the story of a group of subway ticket inspectors who have the unenviable job of attempting to make sure that the subway commuters are holding the appropriate ticket or pass. Normally, their jobs are simply annoying, and somewhat psychologically disturbing; sometimes, however, it is physically dangerous and downright deadly. Particularly lately, when there is a phantom subway dweller in a black hood that is pushing people onto the tracks in front of approaching trains. "Kontroll", while showing most of the members of the subway crew, focuses on one crew in particular, headed by Bulcsu (Csanyi). Bulcsu's crew can best be described as a merry band of misfits; there is a man who gets into such rages that he puts himself into a narcoleptic coma on a daily basis, an older man who seems to be the voice of experience, the requisite hothead and the newbie. Bulcsu, who we find out the most about, (and it's not that much at that) has a mysterious past in which he seemed to be a professional of some sort, is working underground almost as a self-imposed hell, not even going above ground, rather resorting to curling up next to a pillar after the trains are finished running for the night and the lights go out. Not only is his coloring terrible, but also he begins to have horrible dreams, some involving a beautiful young woman in a bear costume, who he eventually meets up with and befriends. "Kontroll", while not having a completely defined storyline, (which is, honestly, part of its charm) is certainly a thought-provoking and compelling film.
Inevitable comparisons will be made to Danny Boyle's "Trainspotting", from the gritty surroundings to the thumping techno soundtrack, but while I honed in on these similarities immediately, "Kontroll" has enough originality to be more than a clone or even a pale imitation. This was the first film I've personally seen surrounding the underground world of subway inspectors, and the story, though at face value may carry an immediate "who cares" stigma BECAUSE of its subject matter, is really quite good and is further bettered by the performance of Csanyi. Looking like a Chris Noth clone on the tail end of a two-week bender, Csanyi is able to give his character sufficient appeal and depth despite the fact that we never really know who he is and what his deal really is.
As I've stated, "Kontroll" leaves a lot to the imagination, and there are several elements of the film that could point in the direction of the theory of purgatory and the duality of man's psyche. Or, it could just simply be a slick, stylish and entertaining film about the subways of Budapest. Whichever way you choose to approach the film and its various themes, if you can find it (as of the present it has not been released on DVD) "Kontroll" is definitely worth seeking out. 7/10 --Shelly