film synopsis
Romances rarely seem more eccentric than the one between Endre, the kind, older and partially maimed manager of an industrial slaughterhouse, and Maria, the abattoir’s new quality and hygiene inspector, a shy, awkward woman with Asperger’s Syndrome. When a special Viagra-like potion for the cattle goes missing, the police suggest that Endre consult a psychologist (Reka Tenki, also in this year’s Budapest Noir) to develop a profile of the possible thief. Under her questioning, Endre and Maria discover that their nightly dreams share the exact same imagery: a doe and a buck wandering in a primeval, snow-covered forest. As we chart what these two misfits do with that information, director/writer Ildikó Enyedi plays with dualities in a tone that is both exhilarating and disturbing. On Body and Soul is both surreal and sensual, an engrossing, provocative dream of a film. Winner: Golden Bear (Best Film), Berlin; Best Film, Sydney
In competition for the FIPRESCI Prize.