The last and often referred to as the best of the early films by the great Béla Tarr, this is a poignant tale of a young couple struggling to hold together a failing marriage in the face of poverty. What Tarr’s current work manages to accomplish with long-takes, rain, and silence, this film manages to duplicate with close-ups, tears, and pleading hearts. There is a sharp social criticism at work here and an observation for the rhythms of daily life that for me, really makes this film a close relative to Ermanno Olmi’s amazing I Fidanzati. This is simple, stunning filmmaking, ripe with sadness and frustration. The ending, featuring a cynical and deeply saddening bit of Tarr magic that predicts the circular structure of his later work, was enough to bring tears to my eyes.  out of  

Adam Lemke