Katalin Varga (Peter Strickland, 2009): Romania/UK

Reviewed by Lava Farmer.  Viewed at Santa Barbara Film Festival.

Katalina Varga is an eerie story of a woman who must deal with her past when her husband finds out the truth and kicks her out.  Her goals seem very unclear, but her dark and daunting attitude tell is she can surely be up to no good.  She is a quiet, but strikingly beautiful and strong woman.  When we finally do realize the unfortunate truth of her history, we are only further horrified by the truth of her present intentions.

Choosing to film in Romania with an all Romanian cast was a bold move for director Peter Strickland who himself is from the UK.  However, the powerful performance of actress Hilda Peter, who plays Katalin, makes up for anything that may be lost in translation.  The effectiveness of the story relies heavily on the intrigue we feel about this mysterious and enchanting woman.  For this reason, the camera work forces us to get inside her head.  Strickland gives us shaky, handheld camera over the shoulder shots to make us really feel like we’re right along side her.

Later in the film we see the perspective shift towards that of her son Orban(Norbert Tanko).  The camera goes from an over the shoulder shot of Katalin, then crosses over to Orban giving us his view instead.  An important theme throughout the film is the way things change when looked at from a different perspective.  This theme is also illustrated by singing in the film.  To one person a song is simply a lullaby, but to another it is a painful reminder of a terrible crime.

Through the use of eerie music that at times just sounds like moaning, Strickland gives the film an ominous tone. This is then increased by the heightening of white noise and far off sounds, making for an extremely anxious mood. Meanwhile the vast and beautiful countryside seems daunting and gives an overwhelming sense of vulnerability.

Strickland wants his audience to feel uneasy.  Humanity is flawed, and no one is exempt.  Most people don’t want to see the darker side of human nature, but it is there in everyone.  Katalin herself gives into her dark side, but during so her face is covered by hair and shadows.  Perhaps, Strickland was showing us how we often try to cover-up or hide these moments.  Everyone does bad or makes mistakes, but it is important to rebound righteously and learn from your experiences.  Morals are not always clear, but good intentions can never be confused.