After seeing the film, these are the initial words that came to my mind: FAIR, BALANCED AND EXTREMELY PROFESSIONALLY DONE!
It is very hard not to be biased about this subject matter especially when almost all involved making this film are or were affected by that era. I am not just referring to the Freedom Fighters in 1956; I am also talking about those who were raised under Communism. One might think that this film could present an excellent opportunity for venting, for hatred and everything that comes with that point of view; however, the film avoids it. It shows both sides and gives a great historical recap of events before, during, and after 1956. The film would stand in history and could be shown to future generations, as it is without bias or distortion about what happened. For that, the filmmakers should be proud of themselves.
The film’s style may give you the feel of a History Channel program. I think that might be the case because of the outstanding production value and excellent professional work that we see on those TV programs. Today’s documentary style is predominantly personal stories, sometimes shot with a skeleton crew and shaky camera. Because this film’s professional look, one might think of television. Make no mistake, this is a feature documentary that would stand in competition with others in film festivals and would have a great chance to rise above them.
The technical aspect: I would pay attention to the fantastic sound editing! Also, the cinematographer’s choice of showing the participants’ faces in shadow is actually a fantastic choice. It makes it look interesting, because we listen to their voice more so than watching the face that tells us the story or comments. The use of music is almost an extra character in the film; the choices are superb.
Overall, I liked the film. As a Hungarian, I imagine it likely speaks to me more than it might to a non- Hungarian. However, non-Hungarian can use these historical events as a comparison to current events. The documentary films we see nowadays, such as Michael Moore’s Roger and Me or Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me, started a trend: take on gigantic corporations and fight them like Don Quixote. This film shows and states that this small country,
Anna Lynn Reeves
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