Sunset (Hungarian: Napszállta) is a 2018 Hungarian historical drama film co-written and directed by László Nemes. It is set in Budapest before World War I, starring newcomer Juli Jakab and Vlad Ivanov. It premiered at the 75th Venice International Film Festival and was also screened at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.[5][6] It was selected as the Hungarian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.[7]

Sunset
Hungarian theatrical release poster
Directed byLászló Nemes
Written by
Produced by
  • Gábor Sipos
  • Gábor Rajna
  • Barnabás Hutlassa
StarringJuli Jakab
Vlad Ivanov
Marcin Czarnik
Evelin Dobos
Judit Bárdos
CinematographyMátyás Erdély
Edited byMatthieu Taponier
Music byLászló Melis
Production
companies
  • Hungarian National Film Fund
  • Laokoon Film Arts
  • Laokoon Filmgroup
Distributed byMozinet
Release dates
  • 2 September 2018 (2018-09-02) (Venice)
  • 27 September 2018 (2018-09-27) (Hungary)
Running time
144 minutes[1]
CountryHungary
LanguageHungarian
Budget€8.9 million[2]
Box office$1.1 million[3][4]

Plot

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1913, Budapest, in the heart of Europe. The young Irisz Leiter arrives in the Hungarian capital with high hopes to work as a milliner at the legendary hat store that belonged to her late parents. She is nonetheless sent away by the new owner, Oszkár Brill. While preparations are under way at the Leiter hat store to host guests of uttermost importance, a man abruptly comes to Irisz looking for a certain Kálmán Leiter. Refusing to leave the city, the young woman follows Kálmán's tracks, her only link to a lost past. Her quest brings her through the dark streets of Budapest, where only the Leiter hat store shines, into the turmoil of a civilization on the eve of its downfall.

Cast

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Production

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Development

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The film received €5 million from the Hungarian National Film Fund and the project is produced by Gabor Sipos and Gabor Rajna through Laokoon Filmgroup. Sunset is being sold and co-produced by French outfit Films Distribution.[8] The film is expected to get support also from Eurimages.[9]

Casting

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Juli Jakab, who plays the protagonist of the film, was chosen among more than 1,000 Hungarian actresses.[2]

Filming

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Shooting took place between 12 June and 2 September 2017 in Hungary.[2][10]

Release

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Sunset premiered in competition at the 75th Venice International Film Festival on 2 September 2018.[11] The film was released in Hungary on 27 September 2018.[12]

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 60% of 93 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Sunset (Napszállta) struggles to fill its runtime with consistently compelling drama, but uses one woman's experiences to convincingly capture a society at a crossroads."[13] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100 based on 23 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14]

Accolades

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At the Venice Film Festival, the film won the FIPRESCI Award.[15]

Year Award Category Recipient Result
2018 75th Venice International Film Festival FIPRESCI Sunset Won

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Sunset". Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 24 July 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Elsa Keslassy (18 May 2017). "'Son of Saul' Director László Nemes to Start Shooting 'Sunset'". Variety. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  3. ^ "Napszállta". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  4. ^ "Napszállta". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 26 November 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  5. ^ "Venice to Kick Off Awards Season With New Films From Coen Brothers, Luca Guadagnino and Alfonso Cuaron". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  6. ^ "Sunset". www.tiff.net. Archived from the original on 24 July 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  7. ^ Barraclough, Leo (11 September 2018). "Oscar Winner László Nemes' 'Sunset' to Represent Hungary at Academy Awards". Variety. Archived from the original on 12 September 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  8. ^ "Hungarian Film Fund rolls big on Laszlo Nemes' 'Sunset'". Screen. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  9. ^ "Eurimages backs Pawel Pawlikowski, Laszlo Nemes in €5.7m funding round". Screen. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  10. ^ "Befejeződött Nemes Jeles László új filmjének forgatása". 24.hu. 4 September 2017. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  11. ^ "Biennale Cinema 2018 | Program Cinema 2018 (Pass holders)". La Biennale di Venezia. 27 July 2018. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  12. ^ Sándor, Czinkóczi. "Nemes Jeles László filmje kapta a kritikusok díját Velencében - 444". 444 (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  13. ^ "Sunset (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. 22 March 2019. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Sunset Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  15. ^ "Biennale Cinema 2018 | Collateral Awards of the 75th Venice Film Festival". La Biennale di Venezia. 8 September 2018. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
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