1945

On an August day in 1945, residents of a small Hungarian town are preparing for a wedding when an Orthodox man and his grown son arrive with a mysterious crate. The town clerk fears the men may be descendants of the village’s deported Jews and expects them to demand the return of their family’s property. The villagers—in turn suspicious, remorseful, and calculating—expect the worst and behave accordingly. Director Ferenc Török paints a complex, multilayered picture of members of a society trying to come to terms with the horrors they recently experienced, perpetrated, or tolerated for personal gain. Striking black-and-white cinematography and a superb ensemble cast add to the impact of Gábor T. Szántó’s acclaimed short story “Homecoming,” the film’s inspiration.

Q&A with Hungarian Consul General Ferenc Kumin and Claims Conference Chief of Staff Arie Bucheister with RECEPTION