IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM SHELF!

My 20th Century (Az én XX. századom, 1989) is not an easy film for me to review.  The debut feature from Hungarian filmmaker Ildiko Enyedi is a technical marvel and is incredibly ambitious for anyone’s first movie.  Filmed in black & white in the vintage 1.33:1 aspect ratio in order to imitate the look of early cinema, the movie is dazzlingly beautiful from the first frame to the last.  Obviously, a lot of thought, craft, and care went into the production.  Still, I didn’t connect with it at all.

My main issue with My 20th Century was the story, or more importantly, the lack thereof.   The film begins in 188o, as an electrical display and parade are taking place in honor of Thomas Edison.  Simultaneously, in Budapest, a poor woman (Dorota Segda) gives birth to twin girls, Dora and Lili.  Those girls are soon orphaned and resort to selling matches on the street to survive.  Falling asleep outdoors, the girls dream of being carried off by a donkey, but in reality the girls are taken in opposite directions by two strange men.  From there, the story jumps to the eve of the Twentieth Century, revealing that Dora (now played by Dorota Segda) has become a grifter, who uses her feminine wiles to seduce rich men, while Lili (also Dorota Segda) lives a more impoverished existence and is drawn to anarchic revolutionary action.  The girls occasionally cross paths with each other and with the same man (Oleg Yankovskiy), who does not realize they are two separate women.  A lot of other stuff happens.  The stars in the night sky encourage a dog to escape from a research lab, a misogynist gives a lecture, footage from various silent films is intercut here and there, the donkey shows up again, and Thomas Edison looks depressed.

The narrative (what there is of it) is symbolic and fairly abstract.  Normally, this wouldn’t be an issue for me.  I love most of the movies directed by Federico Fellini, Luis Bunuel, David Lynch, and Seijun Suzuki — all filmmakers that often use non-narrative, abstract, or surrealist storytelling.  However, if there isn’t a story, I need something to follow, such as a unifying theme or strong characters.  Unfortunately, with Ildiko Enyedi’s film, I found nothing to hold onto.

I think the film was trying to say something about modernity and the dual nature of humanity, but the themes completely escaped me.  I’m not saying this is the fault of the filmmaker.  The fault may lie with me, and had I grown up in Eastern Europe, some of the symbolism and themes might have been more obvious.  While the experience of watching the film was pleasant, because the images are truly beautiful to look at, I simply did not find that it added up to much.  However, no film is for everyone, and this one may simply not be for me.  Your experience may be completely different.

I would not discourage anyone from watching My 20th Century or from purchasing the beautiful new Blu-ray release from Kino Classics.  However, if you are not already familiar with Enyedi’s first feature, you may want to rent it before purchasing.

Hungary/B&W-105m./Dir: Ildiko Enyedi/Wr: Ildiko Enyedi/Cast: Dorota Segda, Oleg Yankovskiy, Gábor Máté, Péter Andorai, Paulus Manker 

For Fans of: If you loved the beautiful black & white photography and surrealistic storytelling in Robert Egger’s The Lighthouse (2019), you may also enjoy My 20th Century.

Video: Kino Lorber will release the 4K restoration of My 20th Century on Blu-ray on June 9th under their Kino Classics imprint.  Every care was taken to ensure the best video presentation.  The digital restoration of the film was performed by the Hungarian Filmlab, supervised by the Hungarian Film Fund – Hungarian National Film Archive; and the digital grading was supervised by film’s original cinematographer Tibor Máthé.  Consequently, the black & white photography looks sumptuously beautiful, and the audio is perfect.  If you are already a fan of the film, you should not hesitate to pick up this release.

Also included are several special features:

• A brief introduction to the film by director Ildikó Enyedi
• An audio commentary with Enyedi and director of photography Tibor Mathe (Hungarian with optional English subtitles)
• An interview with Enyedi by filmmaker Peter Strickland (courtesy of Second Run)
• The trailer from the theatrical re-release of the restored film
• A 12-page booklet with an essay by curator and writer Dorota Lech

Streaming: If you want to view the film before deciding whether to add the Blu-ray to your collection, My 20th Century can be digitally rented or purchased through KinoNow, Vudu, and other streaming platforms.

More to Explore: Patrice Leconte’s Girl on the Bridge (La fille sur le pont, 1999) is a luminous romantic fable, shot in gorgeous black & white.  I think it would pair quite nicely with My 20th Century.

Trivia: In the Polish dubbed versions of the Harry Potter movies, My 20th Century star Dorota Segda voices the character of Bellatrix Lestrange.

For More Info: Not much has been written about Ildikó Enyedi and her films, so a Google search might be your best bet when looking for more information.