For Some Inexplicable Reason

Áron is twenty nine, lives with his parents in Budapest and does nothing. He finished university and the degree is no use; he is not looking for work, his girlfriend has left him, and his days go in sitting about with friends. One night, drunk, he buys a ticket to Lisbon online. In the morning he gets on the plane. He does not know himself why he is going. Gábor Reisz writes and directs. It is the director's first film, made for very little money; it was an unexpected success in Hungary and was spoken of as the film of its generation. The narrative is episodic and deliberately scattered: short scenes, animated interludes, talk to camera and passages of fantasy. The subject is not exactly a crisis; nothing large happens to Áron, and that is the point. The narrative gives it as the condition of a generation. Hungary's situation at the time is behind it: youth unemployment, the tendency to leave the country, and those who stay not knowing what to do. The humour is dry and turned on itself; the film does not defend Áron or justify his idleness. Who it is for: viewers who like Eastern European independent comedy and generational narrative. Who it is not for: nothing happens, the structure is scattered, and the main character is deliberately irritating.