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My 20th Century 15 rating

Ildikó Enyedi's magical tale of twin girls born in Budapest at the very moment that Edison’s wondrous electric light-bulb is unveiled to the world.

Drama 1989 99 mins

Director: Ildikó Enyedi

Overview

From Ildikó Enyedi (whose On Body and Soul scooped four major prizes at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival) this magical film spins a tale of twin girls, Dóra and Lili, born in Budapest at the very moment that Edison’s wondrous electric light-bulb is unveiled to the world. Separated in childhood, the sisters’ lives follow radically different paths: one grows up to a naïvely idealistic, bomb-toting anarchist, the other a pampered, hedonistic courtesan – until they meet once again on the Orient Express on New Year’s Eve 1899…

This dazzling film portrays the birth of modernism, a daring world of revolutionary ideas and inventions that promised enchantment and inspired wonder. Shot in luminous monochrome by cinematographer Tibor Máthé, the film echoes the magic and exuberance of early cinema. Celebrating the enthralling technological marvels as well as the political and sexual upheavals of the time, this film reclaims the birth of the twentieth century as a miraculous moment to be alive.