On The Eve Of World War I, 'Sunset' Is Gorgeous But Opaque
A beautiful, headstrong young woman (Juli Jakab) interrogates her past even as Budapest prepares to crumble; director Laszlo Nemes depicts "the soil in which fascism takes root" with cool dispassion.
Some mighty fancy millinery plays a key role in the Hungarian film Sunset.
The hats are ornate and beautiful and way over the top, all of which might also be said of the paper-thin grandeur of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1913 as it teeters on the verge of collapse just before the outbreak of World War I. Budapest, the crown jewel of that empire, also teems with anarchists, cultists,) is not given to connecting dots — at least not so's you'd notice up front.
