Tibor Pálffy
In 1957 the Soviet Union decides to give Hungary the chance to choose the world's first cosmonaut, who can be the very first person in space. It seems like the best candidate is Lajkó, the gypsy spraying pilot.
A mother's struggle to support her child leads her into a surreal netherworld of sex and danger in this drama from Hungarian filmmaker Szabolcs Hajdu. Mona Paparu is a single mother who has been left to raise her daughter Viorica on her own, only to have her fitness as a parent called into question by her aunt Rodica. Forced to answer Rodica's charges in a meeting with Child Protective Service authorities, Mona tells the long, convoluted tale of how she fell in with Viorel, a charming but sinister underworld figure, in order to provide for her daughter. As Mona falls into debt to Viorel, he puts her to work in a variety of illegal enterprises, finally ending up in the Bibliotheque Pascal, an elegant but bizarre house of prostitution in which men can re-enact sexual scenarios inspired by great works of literature for a hefty fee. Bibliotheque Pascal was an official selection at the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival.
In the beautiful, otherworldly Carpathian Mountains a woman is traveling with a small boy in a horse and cart, looking to punish those who once abused her. For years, Katalin has been keeping a terrible secret. Hitchhiking with two men, she was brutally raped in the woods. Although she has kept silent about what happened, she has not forgotten, and her son Órban serves as a living reminder.
