DEVA

Kató, still only a teenager, stands at her mother's grave. She sells the funeral wreath to a florist for 50 Lei. She has long white hair and feels like an outsider, even though she is in fact treated fairly in the orphanage by both the care workers and fellow children, the latter for the most part much younger than her. When Bogi, a new sports teacher from Budapest, arrives Kató comes to life and, like the other children, wants her to stay. Believed by the others to be in possession of magical powers Kato proceeds, in unison with her fellow orphaned children, to place a “curse” on the regular teacher Anna in an attempt to free up a vacancy.

In an approach that is lyrical and realistic in equal manner director Petra Szöcs captures what is an unconventional coming-of-age story. She intentionally leaves plenty of room for interpretation, relying in the process on three excellent, hitherto little-known actresses: the young Csengelle Nagy (Kató), Boglárka Komán (Bogi) and Fatma Mohamed (Anna). Complete with its castle, the both medieval and post-socialist town of Déva and the laid-back, very natural Hungarian-Romanian bilingualism all contribute to the charm of this beautifully filmed, small masterpiece. JT