While Tarr is best recognized for his epic thematic tales such as Werckmeister Harmonies or Satantango, his early output is much more intimate, with The Prefab People perhaps being the best example of Tarr's intimacy I've seen, as it offers a pensive "kitchen sink" drama about the dissolving of a blue-collar marriage in the Eastern Bloc. Told through what essentially amounts to a series of vignettes focusing on the deterioration of this couples once harmonious relationship, The Prefab People is a painfully observant study that feels incredibly organic, never feeling manufactured for dramatic effect in the slightest. The film begins with an explosive opening sequence which finds the husband walking out on his wife and their infant child, cold in demeanor, the husband shows little emotion to the frantic emotional state of his soon-to-be ex-wife. It's a potent sequence which defines what the viewer is in for during The Prefab People's ninety minute running time - an unrelenting portrait of the strains poverty, depression, and masculine inadequacy can have on a marriage. The shortcomings of a society that is dictated by money is definitely felt throughout The Prefab People, with the husband being a character who can't help but worry about making enough money to provide for his family. These constant monetary concerns create a sense of inadequacy in the husband, and perhaps one of the the film's strongest attributes is how it offers interesting insights into the gender roles of this failing relationship. While the husband's masculine inadequacies continuously haunt him, the wife shows a fragile, sensitive mindset when faced with any difficult decisions, a dangerous cocktail which combined present the shattering force behind their dissolving marriage. As one can probably imagine, The Prefab People isn't exactly an uplifting experience, and the thing that stands out the most is the raw realism it creates, something which few films seem capable of. Reminiscent of Cassavetes' Faces in moments, The Prefab People is honest and so raw that it becomes unbearable to watch this young couple fall apart at times, being a fascinating early film from the master Hungarian filmmaker
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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