By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.25 cats
Director: Lili Horvát
Starring: Andor Lukáts | Attila Mokos | Benett Vilmányi | Natasa Stork | Péter Tóth | Viktor Bodó | Zsolt Nagy
Original language title: Felkészülés meghatározatlan ideig tartó együttlétre
Country: hungary
Year: 2021
Running time: 95
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12564514/reference
Chris says: “Marta (Natasa Stork), a Hungarian neurosurgeon practicing in America returns to her home country to meet up with Janos (Viktor Bodo), another doctor in her field. Claiming she met him at a conference and it was love at first sight, they made plans to rendezvous on the Liberty Bridge in Budapest. However, when Marta arrives, there’s no sign of Janos. When she does eventually bump into him, he doesn’t recognize or even remember her. Is he gaslighting or ghosting her, or did she make the whole thing up?
“Lili Horvath’s film resembles a Hitchcock psychological thriller as if directed by Haneke. Favoring ambiguity over action, it drags a bit at times only to intermittently return to life with a sudden turn of events. The cinematography is often striking, particularly when it tends towards the abstract or highlights Stork’s cobalt-blue eyes and ruby red lipstick. I was alternately perplexed and entranced–almost enough to forgive that unwieldy title. 4 cats
“(Streaming on Criterion Channel and Kanopy; available to rent elsewhere.)”
Michael says: “As I play clean-up to this year’s batch of Chlotrudis nominations, I’m always thrilled when I stumble across one that I missed, that if I had seen, I would have nominated! Such is the case of Lili Horvát’s Hungarian drama/romance, PREPARATIONS TO BE TOGETHER FOR AN UNKNOWN PERIOD OF TIME. Anchored by a remarkable performance by Nastasa Stork, our heroine may or may not be somewhat delusional. A native-born Hungarian working in the U.S. as a neurosurgeon, Marta meets and is drawn to Janós (Viktor Bodó) a fellow doctor at a conference. While she claims that it wasn’t quite love, it was enough to cause her to give up her glitzy job in the U.S. and return to Hungary where the two said they would reunite a month later by a particular bridge. When she finally finds him, not quite at the appointed time or place, he claims never to have seen her before. Whether the world is a little off, or Marta is doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, and in the end, we are never really certain, but it’s fascinating to watch Marta’s cool response to the curveballs her life throws at her, rebuilding a life in Hungary while trying to win Janós back to her (or possibly win him over for the first time?)
“The film is nominated for best original screenplay, and I heartily endorse that. I love the fact that Marta is a highly-skilled neurosurgeon, and that we also question her mental faculties as she struggles with possible delusions, or obsessions. I also love a film where you’re not really sure if things are happening in reality as they appear, or if things are skewed by the main character’s post of view. Horvát’s screenplay does that adroitly, and never swings too far in either direction. If I had seen this film before nomination time, I would have also nominated it for Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and possibly Best Movie. A real winner. 4 1/2 cats“