Movie No. 67 (2014): THE NOTEBOOK

The Notebook (a.k.a. A Nagy Fuzet) (2013)
Director: Janos Szasz
Cast: Laszlo Gyemant, Andras Gyemant, Piroska Molnar
In Hungarian, with English Subtitles

An "important" scene from the Janos Szasz's "The Notebook"

Set during World War II, the tells the horrors of war as seen on the eyes of 13-year-old twins. Believing that twins will attract attention during war, a couple decides to dispatch their sons in a farm in the countryside, near the Hungarian border, under the care of their bitter and cruel (maternal) grandmother. The grandmother's farm is "at the edge," with no neighbors, and is a stone's throw away from a concentration camp. There, the formerly pampered twins, have to learn the realities of life during war. Witnessing a series of horrible events, the twins decide to become completely unfeeling to prepare themselves for future hardships (i.e., not to feel pain, hunger, and any form of emotion). The so-called "rites of passage" (like inflicting bodily harm on each other, burning all the memories of their mother, etc.) to desensitize their bodies and emotions are sometimes difficult to watch. All these and such nightmarish episodes the twins witness are recorded in detail in a notebook their father gave them.

The characters in the movie don't have names. The twins, in the credits, are simply referred to as "the One" and "the Other." Their grandmother, called Grandmother or "the Witch," address them as sons of bitches. Other characters are simply called Mother, Father, Harelip, Captain, Reverend, etc. This makes the watching experience feels like listening to a story narrated by someone who is remotely connected to the characters, like telling someone else's story. All scenes are beautifully photographed. The script, as interpreted on screen, seems like one that's written by the Grimm brothers. And that ending is a shocker. 

Rating: 4.0/4.0

Date seen: September 7, 2014