(Hungary, 76 min.)
Dir. Attila Szász, Writ. Norbert Köbli
Starring: János Kulka, Tamás Szabó Kimmel, József Kádas,
Rozi Lovas, Rémusz Szikszai, László I. Kish
Enjoy a double-bill of thrillers tonight as Ottawa’s
European Union Film Festival screens Poland’s terrific spy thriller Jack Strong back to back with the swift
Hungarian political thriller The
Ambassador to Bern. Both films are tense and atmospheric thrillers. If Jack is akin to a John le Carré
adaptation, then The Ambassador to Bern
begs comparison to Ben Affleck’s Argo
with its breakneck dramatization of a true hostage situation in the Hungarian embassy
Bern, Switzerland in 1958. Expect a gripping night at the movies.
This true tale takes a dramatic interpretation of events as the opening title cards offer a few facts about how the siege at the embassy “could have happened” and then offer a speculation drawn on transcripts, eyewitness accounts, and creative licence. The Ambassador to Bern moves very quickly as it introduces the titular ambassador Koroknai (a strong János Kulka) as he spends his morning worrying that recent events will bring a shift in power and put him on the outs. Within minutes, though, two freedom fighters storm the embassy and Koroknai becomes the crutch upholding the secrets and integrity of the Hungarian government when his life is in jeopardy.
The two radicals, Abel (Tamás Szabó Kimmel) and Bános (József
Kádas), are both Hungarian immigrants fighting the consequences of the
Hungarian revolution from afar. The
Ambassador to Bern humanizes the two freedom fighters just as much as it
does the hostages in the embassy, for the script by Norbert Köbli cuts quickly
to the fighters’ own family members and allies as they wait in the gathering
mob outside the embassy, shouting support for the rebels and admonishing the
Hungarian government. The Ambassador to
Bern, like Jack Strong, offers a
tense-character driven film about the burdens individuals bear when they lose
faith in their governments and take renegade routes to justice. The films find
different heroes, however, since Kuklinski of Jack Strong becomes a global ally against an impending World War
while The Ambassador to Bern sits
more in a grey area as it creates a battle of wits between the ambassador and
his captors.
The film debates the effectiveness of civil diplomacy as
Koroknai gains agency in the hostage crisis by defying his government and
finding common ground with the freedom fighters. His coercion his noted, but
the ambassador seems sullenly resigned from his duties as he puts on a brave
face early in the morning, yet his passionate debate with the rebels over
Hungary’s actions stirs notable hunger as he moves from being a political puppet
to a mere countryman reflecting on his changing homeland. The Ambassador to Bern similarly finds humour in the ceremonial
role of diplomacy as the borders surrounding the embassy create barriers that
make the Swiss official leading the charge against the freedom fighters as
little more than an observer to a foreign crisis.
One almost wishes that the brisk Ambassador to Bern fleshed out this engrossing tale even further
than the quick 76 minutes of the film’s running time. Bern goes by almost too quickly—like a traumatic event in real
life, it seems like it’s over just as soon as it begins—and the full political
context of the film is sometimes hard to grasp. Fully explaining the motivation
behind the freedom fighters risks justifying their actions, though, so The Ambassador to Bern smartly restricts
the action to the claustrophobic spaces of the embassy for the brief duration
of the siege. This taut thriller is thoughtful and riveting.
Rating: ★★★½ (out of ★★★★★)
Rating: ★★★½ (out of ★★★★★)
The Ambassador to Bern screens at the European Union Film Festival on
Saturday, Nov. 22 at 9:15 pm at Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington St.
The European Union
Film Festival runs Nov. 13-30.
Please visit www.cfi-icf.ca for more information on this
year’s festival.
More coverage of the European Union Film Festival may be found here.
More coverage of the European Union Film Festival may be found here.
