Werckmeister’s Harmonies
Presented by:
Béla Tarr | Hungary | 2000 | 145 min
People in a desolate provincial town on the central plain of Hungary await the arrival of a circus featuring the stuffed carcass of a whale and a mysterious Prince. Its arrival disturbs the peace of the town, unleashing a torrent of violence and beauty. The town is thrown into turmoil. Gangs roam the streets and many signs seem to foretell an impending catastrophe. Valuska, a post office employee, holds on tenaciously to a utopia: keeping faith in creation by waging war against the forces of darkness.
Werckmeister’s Harmonies by renowned auteur Béla Tarr is one of the greatest masterpieces of 21st century cinema to date. This phantasmagorical black and white film is both a parable of social collapse and a fascinating enigma with a powerfuul visual, philosophical and mystical resonance.
