Fábri Zoltán was a wonderful Hungarian filmmaker and this film (his last), that made its way to Hungarian cinemas in April 1984, is probably my favourite from his catalogue. If one wanted to understand how Hungarian society worked in the 1970s, during the era of velvet dictatorship, Gyertek el a névnapomra (Housewarming) is one of the films I would definitely recommend watching.
It is a superbly acted, suspenseful political thriller (at times somewhat reminiscent of such more recent movies as Michael Clayton or Erin Brockovich) told through both straight narrative and documentary-like witness testimonies. The elite of a country town are having a celebration in a luxury villa when an incident (resulting in an injury) disturbs the party. A journalist of the local newspaper investigates the case but she meets considerable obstacles, pressure and threats.
Fábri perfectly captures the atmosphere of the era and paints an accurate picture of its morals. Western viewers might be surprised to find how the behaviour of people wielding political power transcends history and geography. The issues presented here are indeed familiar across all borders and remain painfully relevant to this day.
It is a superbly acted, suspenseful political thriller (at times somewhat reminiscent of such more recent movies as Michael Clayton or Erin Brockovich) told through both straight narrative and documentary-like witness testimonies. The elite of a country town are having a celebration in a luxury villa when an incident (resulting in an injury) disturbs the party. A journalist of the local newspaper investigates the case but she meets considerable obstacles, pressure and threats.
Fábri perfectly captures the atmosphere of the era and paints an accurate picture of its morals. Western viewers might be surprised to find how the behaviour of people wielding political power transcends history and geography. The issues presented here are indeed familiar across all borders and remain painfully relevant to this day.
