SZERDAI GYEREK

Though only recently having turned nineteen, Maja has a child from a childhood spent in an orphanage and is now faced with the difficult task of starting afresh. Though she does everything in her power to regain custody of her son, residual ties to the child's father and her self-destructive character represent formidable obstacles to overcome.

Having come of age a year ago, Maja finally earned the right to release from the orphanage she spent her childhood in; her son has to remain there however, until she is able to scrape together the necessary financial means to raise a child. Fluctuating between moments of affection and hysteria, she tenaciously searches for a chance and, on learning of a scheme aimed at young entrepreneurs, resolves to open a laundromat; she was responsible for laundry in the orphanage after all. The loans and advice on offer are tied to rules and regulations however, Maja's pet hate. Nevertheless she accepts the plan for the good of her family, even though the child's father Krisz, a minor criminal with whom she shared her childhood, appears anything other than interested in her plans. Despite Krisz's general sense of indifference and occasional bouts of jealousy Maja's life appears to be changing for the better, and a new love would even appear to be in the air. Unfortunately however old habits, and relationships, ultimately die hard.

Lili Horváth's début film, which won Karlovy Vary's East of the West competition, continues the tale of Maja, with whom audiences may well be familiar from the director's award-winning dissertation film NAPSZÚRÁS. Assisted by this noteworthy début performance from Kinga Vecsei, the director successfully manages to portrait a young woman who cuts her own path in defiance of a highly destructive character and a set of unfavourable circumstances. KF