'An explanation for everything', a political reflection on Hungary today
At the weekend there is room in the cinemas for the committed feature film by Gábor Reisz, as well as the curious 'Once upon a time in Bhutan'.
by Andrea Chimento
3' min read
3' min read
Busy cinema is the star of the weekend in theatres: "An Explanation for Everything" by Hungarian director Gábor Reisz is the must-see title of the week and the one that offers the most food for thought.
At the centre of the plot is a high school graduation exam that ends up becoming a real media scandal: young Abel wears a nationalist cockade, which provokes a question from his history teacher that will generate a series of unpredictable consequences.
In addition to the boy protagonist, the film has numerous characters - from the nationalist father to the liberal teacher - who become metaphors for the different political and social positions in Hungary yesterday and today.Winner of the Orizzonti prize at the Venice Film Festival 2023, "An Explanation for Everything" is a film that speaks explicitly about Hungarian history and the current condition regarding Orbán's politics and a society dominated by paradoxical situations that are exploited by the media to generate cheap scandals. Even more evident, however, is the climate of division that is felt in a film that is tremendously disturbing due to the deep division between the various characters on stage.
In addition to socio-political reflections, there is also talk of the distance between generations in this feature film that puts a lot of meat on the fire, but in which the director nevertheless manages to dose all the ingredients on the plate with the right balance.
A talented director
.Reisz is a still little-known but remarkably talented director, as he had already demonstrated in his previous films 'For Some Inexplicable Reasons' (2014) and 'Bad Poems' (2018): 'An Explanation for Everything' is, however, his film of maturity, thanks above all to a sharp script that provokes reflection during the viewing.Initially, the film struggles a little to get going, but it grows a lot in the middle part, also offering a series of exciting sequences - see those of the young Abel on his bicycle - in which the music and the images are perfectly matched.
The film is certainly very much aimed at offering the audience a postcard of present-day Hungary, but many of the actions depicted are universal, and the specific case being described is something that could certainly be found in many other nations of the world.
