Without Air
Winning film 2023
Hungary today. A teacher with liberal beliefs fights for basic European values.
Ana Bauch is a popular and devoted literature teacher in a small Hungarian town. One day, in order to illustrate Arthur Rimbaud’s poetry to her students, Ana recommends Agnieszka Holland’s film ›Total Eclipse‹, about the poet’s relationship with Paul Verlaine. But the mere fact that the film is about homosexual love is enough to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the teacher. At first, this seems undramatic to her, but the supposed scandal draws ever wider circles. In a system where most people have conformed or simply given up, Ana must decide whether to fight for her values or run away, possibly abroad and to a new job. - This bold debut excoriates the anti-liberal and anti-rational climate that exists in a country in the centre of Europe and far beyond.
Country: Hungary
Director: Katalin Moldovai
2023 | 105 min. | Hungarian
Subtitles: English, German
Cast_ Ágnes Krasznahorkai, Tünde Skovrán, Áron Dimény, Soma Sándor, Zsolt Bölönyi Screenplay_ Zita Palóczi, Katalin Moldovai Camera_ András Táborosi Producer_ András Muhi, Katalin Moldovai, Béla Attila Kovács Rights_ National Film Institute Hungary