A wonderful piece of art. A precise depiction of the post-World War II rampage of communism in Hungary. Well-developed characters, intriguing plot. An emotionally charged but unmissable film.
The movie tells the story of Blessed János Brenner, a priest who was born in 1931 in Szombathely, Hungary. He started his ministry in the time when the Communist Hungarian Government dissolved the country's religious orders and officially banned them from operating. However, his balanced serenity and optimism remained untouched. His gentle, natural personality attracted the Catholic youth of the village as a magnet. He was teaching the children, organized their religious life and in the meantime, played football and went hiking with them.
János Brenner never talked politics directly, and never agitated against the existing communist depression. He encouraged others to stay sober, good, spiritually pure. However, the Hungarian political police became more and more suspicious and irritated about his popularity. He was continuously threatened and bullied by the secret police, and at the end he was lured into a trap and assassinated with extreme cruelty.
The movie tells the story of Blessed János Brenner, a priest who was born in 1931 in Szombathely, Hungary. He started his ministry in the time when the Communist Hungarian Government dissolved the country's religious orders and officially banned them from operating. However, his balanced serenity and optimism remained untouched. His gentle, natural personality attracted the Catholic youth of the village as a magnet. He was teaching the children, organized their religious life and in the meantime, played football and went hiking with them.
János Brenner never talked politics directly, and never agitated against the existing communist depression. He encouraged others to stay sober, good, spiritually pure. However, the Hungarian political police became more and more suspicious and irritated about his popularity. He was continuously threatened and bullied by the secret police, and at the end he was lured into a trap and assassinated with extreme cruelty.
