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Sadly Over-hyped

Captivating movie !

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The subject is a Hungarian family at first only known by a set of "found" home movies. The filmmaker (who apparently has commented here about his own movie) goes off on a search to find the subjects of the home movies. He does and films the wretched lives of the children, now grown and in their middle ages. Apparently not enough comes of this so the film maker enlists an unusual trio of commentators to view and react to the footage; a novelist, a psychiatrist and an avant-garde film maker. The result?A very disturbing glimpse into a ruined family. The commentators' opinions come at the same time as your own as they react to footage at the same time you see it. Some times they are insightful, other times just confused. Interestingly, the avant-garde film maker's comments are frequently the most insightful. Many things are not explained as a standard documentary would try to do. Perhaps the film makers were at a loss at what they had filmed when it was finished but that's not a drawback. You have to involve yourself with the mystery to really watch this film.A word on the "disturbing" end, namely the son's visit to his sister and the drinking binge right before it. It's clear that the film maker didn't know that the son would consume two full bottles of wine (gifts from the film maker) before the trip to his sister. Filming it was part of the story. The break-in happens after the son (who is mentally retarded) starts to worry about his sister who lived with him all his life, but hasn't spoken to him for a while now that they live apart. The actual entry into the house is done by a neighbor of the sister and the first view of her filthy kitchen made me think that she had been deceased for a long time. The sister is first seen sleeping, oblivious to the noise in her house, as if dead. She is extremely paranoid and quite crazy. she refuses to talk about her father except for a last comment that says tons about the man.A great film about the results of parents who smother the emotional growth of their children. The method of delivery, however, will not please many people.

I first came across a reference to this film last year on James Ellroy's website. It sounded intriguing, and I awaited it's release with great anticipation. I was, however, quite disappointed. What we have here is some grainy home movie footage intercut with some specious analysis by Ellroy, the late Dr. Roy Menninger, and the late Stan Brakhage, commenting upon some questionable goings-on among members of the Locsei family in Hungary after WWII. Filmmaker Meade tracks down the siblings in the film (Erno and Etruska) for their comments. This is where 'dreadful' begins: Erno is a mentally disabled, unwashed alcoholic; we are treated to several scenes of him drinking wine the filmmakers have provided to secure his cooperation, long stretches of untranslated Hungarian, and a charming scene of urination in a field. Sister Etruska has her home broken into by the filmakers. We watch her shielding her face from the camera while she repeatedly demands they not invade her privacy. I cannot imagine the cruelty, or at least indifference, that would motivate anyone to pursue this material, much less offer it up for public consumption.I have viewed other user comments to this film, and appear to be in the minority. But if you like films about disturbed individuals, I suggest Errol Morris' MR DEATH instead.

This is a film that deserves much more attention then it will probably ever receive. "Vakvagany" is at different times disturbing, thought-provoking, and hilarious. It is a documentary done by a relatively unknown director, and yet it is not only as good as any documentary film you will ever see, but to its great credit, it is also probably as accessible to a mainstream audience as a film like this could be. Hopefully the inclusion in the film of the renowned author and personality James Ellroy (at his wry best) will create an audience for the film; it has a timelessness about it that should allow it to sustain its relevance and impact over time. Three different perspectives about a series of remarkable old "home movies" that were discovered in a decrepit apartment in Hungary are provided by a filmmaker, a psychologist, and an author. Their vastly contrasting input provides the perfect framework for the astonishing footage that is the foundation of this film. The decision by the director Benjamin Meade to splice the comments of a panel of interviewees with disparate perspectives about a central subject reminded me of Errol Morris's great film "Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control."

The dark heart of Benjamin Meade's "Vakvagany" consists of creepy home movies, filmed sometime between 1948 and 1964, purportedly stolen from a filthy house in Hungary that was said to be crawling with cats."Vakvagany" zig-zags through time, sampling the stolen family films, juxtaposing them with newly-filmed footage of the old movies' still-living participants, and interviews with three spirit guides who offer their take on lurid life with the family depicted in the old and new footage: crime novelist James Ellroy (of "L.A. Confidential" fame) , psychiatrist Dr. Roy Menninger and filmmaker Stan Brakhage.The vintage films focus on life with the Locsei family, a Hungarian couple fond of filming one another and their eventual, ill-fated offspring.The setting for the `found' film is demolished, post-World War II Europe (much of the footage depicts damage done to cities during the war).The usual family moments are captured in the old family films, such as giving the new baby in the house a bath.But the camera lingers lasciviously long on naked son Erno, a cause for concern for `expert witness,' Dr. Roy Menninger, who seems increasingly to be wincing as the film (and the old family footage) unfolds. There are moments in Vakvagany - old and new - that are apt to make virtually any viewer, even the most jaded, wince, as well.Benjamin Meade's "Vakvagany" (or, variously, "Dead End") is eighty-plus minutes of very strange cinema. Love it or hate it, it is something new, and it feels dangerous and important.Meade has said he became enthralled with the vintage home movies and their potentially sinister subject matter: in particular, father Locsei's never clearly defined role in allegedly `helping' the European Jews fleeing Nazi Germany. The form this `help' takes is sufficiently vague to leave room for some very dark deductions regarding what exactly Papa Locsei does for a living that could be construed as `help' for potential Nazi victims.Director Benjamin Meade lets the viewer, and his three `experts,' attempt to decide (You know you're along for a strange, strange ride when noir novelist James Ellroy, notorious for his wild stage presence and book readings, tends toward the most mundane explanations for some very, very strange behavior.)The Alloy Orchestra, famed for its wonderful scores for vintage silent films, provides a haunting, beautiful soundtrack for "Vakvagany."While a sometimes disturbing view, Meade's film is a rewarding ride that can't be forgotten.