Just the Wind

„Inspired by real events, Magyar auteur Bence Fliegauf's Just the Wind puts a human face on the victims of racially motivated violence. Creating an atmosphere of mounting threat without ever resorting to histrionics, this spare, naturalistic drama centers on a Romany family from an isolated village where five other such families were gunned down in their own homes. At a time when Hungarian politics are taking an increasingly nationalistic turn, the pic's frank acknowledgment of the country's entrenched racism appears especially brave. Kudos and critical support will help »Wind« blow into international arthouse venues. (...)

Shot on location in Romany settlements, Just the Wind offers a gritty, low-key depiction of its characters' lives intercut with lyrical shots of the natural landscape. Thankfully, Fliegauf resists the movie cliches of wild gypsy music, chaotic dancing and picturesque all-nighters by a campfire. Although there are flashes of alcohol abuse and idle adolescents as Anna and Rio pass by their neighbors' rundown homes, more than anything else, we experience the mundane existence of the main characters. The non-pro thesps from the Romany community contribute credible, naturalistic performances, with Katalin Toldi and Sarkany particular standouts.

Shooting in natural light conditions in a claustrophobic handheld style, Zoltan Lovasi (d.p. on Fliegauf's debut, Forest) creates a sense of unease and oppression, but the nighttime scenes were annoyingly dim at the digital press screening caught. Still, the cool, clinical visuals in the film's epilogue provide a punch to the gut. As ever with Fliegauf's films, the sound design (by Tamas Beke, the helmer's collaborator on 2010's »Womb«) is particularly strong and crucial to the story. The score, composed by Fliegauf and Beke, is used at just a few intervals.”