Florentín Groll – MRQE

The Hungarian Dressmaker

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Its the 1940s. The Slovak state witnesses the rise of nationalism and its not an auspicious time for minorities. The turbulent social mood also impacts the widow Marika, who loses her job in an Aryanised dressmakers shop. Given the increasing anti-Hungarian sentiment she shuts herself away, particularly since she is harbouring a little Jewish boy. Despite this she still finds herself singled out by two men: a German Nazi officer and a captain of Slovakias Hlinka Guard. This drama by Slovak director Iveta Grófová is an adaptation of the novella of the same name by Peter Kritúfek, which conjures up the dramatic atmosphere of wartime Slovakia. The story of a fragmented era, which forces the protagonists to confront complex dilemmas, is told not only through words, but also by way of a powerful visual language. Sandra Hezinová (kviff.com)

Der Anständige

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Through previously undiscovered private letters, photos and diaries that were found in the Himmler family house in 1945, the “The Decent One” exposes a unique and at times uncomfortable access to the life and mind of the merciless “Architect of the Final Solution” Heinrich Himmler.

Shirley: Visions of Reality

Sat, 30 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

A series of snapshots from the life of a fictional actress named Shirley serves to weave together thirteen paintings by Edward Hopper (e.g. “Office at Night”, “Western Motel”, “Usherette”, “A Woman in the Sun”) into a fascinating synthesis of painting and film, personal and political history. Each station in Shirleys professional and private life from the 1930s to 1960s is precisely dated: It is always August 28/29 of the year in question, as the locations vary from Paris to New York to Cape Cod.

Amnesia

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

A young composer moves from Berlin to the island of Ibiza and begins a friendship with an elderly woman whose painful past has caused her to reject everything to do with Germany, including her native language.