Lost Times

In 1997 twenty-something Ivan lives a bleak existence with his autistic sister, Eszter (played by Matyassy's wife, Terez Vass), in a dreary Hungarian town near the Ukranian border – a place where the local economy on both sides is based on cigarettes and oil smuggling. Hoping to improve his lot in life and make a few extra bucks, he smuggles diesel across the border. He wants to use the money to open a service station, which he envisions will be in high demand once the new highway is built nearby. But the local mafia doesn't like the competition for what they view as their monopoly. What finally pushes Ivan beyond reason is when Eszter is raped while wandering in the forest. When the local authorities refuse to engage in a serious investigation and Ivan stumbles across information relating to the crime, he takes matters into his own hands. The neo-Impressionistic palette and slightly gauzy cinematography are an intriguing contrast to the gritty story of the bleak lives that unfold in LOST TIMES. (In Hungarian with subtitles) – C.C.P.