Sátántangó

Sátántangó is a Hungarian drama film written and directed by Béla Tarr. The film was released in 1994 and is the third installment in Tarr's "Dead Man's Pendulum" trilogy, alongside "Private VD" and "Damnation". The movie follows the lives of a group of unemployed men living in a bleak, rundown motel, where they spend their days engaging in petty crimes and exploiting the women who live with them.

The film revolves around Irimias (Mihály Víg), a charismatic but manipulative figure who exploits the sex and labor of the motel's female residents. As the film progresses, Irimias' influence over the group begins to wane, and the characters' desperation and despair come to the forefront. The narrative is presented in long, static shots, with little direct dialogue exchanged between characters. This deliberate narrative style serves to reinforce the film's themes of alienation, duality, and the minuscule, stifled lives of its characters.

Shot on 16mm film in a stark black-and-white aesthetic, Sátántangó's camerawork is characterized by long takes and unflinching gazes. The film's second half showcases a monotonous parade of the group marching through the Hungarian countryside, interspersed with disconnected narrative vignettes. Critics have praised the film's unique visual and narrative voice, as well as its unsparing portrayal of the human condition. However, the film has also been criticized for its deliberate pacing and apparent lack of narrative resolution.