Sátántangó: Part One

Part One of Béla Tarr’s epic adaptation of Laszlo Karsnahorkai’s novel about the disintegration of an isolated community.

Set in 1980s Hungary, Béla Tarr’s epic masterpiece Satantango portrays the disintegration of a struggling agricultural community as seen from the perspectives of unfaithful lovers, scheming neighbours, an alcoholic doctor and a lonely, neglected child. When the promise of escape to a new life is offered, the squabbling group confront their suspicions, hopes and regrets.

A self-confessed outlier in the film world, Tarr initially attempted to make the film in the mid-80s, but had to wait several years when his film studio was closed by the then-Communist Hungarian government. It is a spellbinding, visionary marathon of a movie, and one that Susan Sontag described as “enthralling for every minute of its seven hours.” Ranked joint 78th in the 2022 Sight and Sound Great Films of All Time poll.