‘The Hungarian Dressmaker’ Review: A Seamstress Feels Hemmed in by Authoritarianism in Taut Slovakian Drama
variety.comStephen Saito Looking back seems to offer a prescient look ahead in “The Hungarian Dressmaker,” Iveta Grófová’s compelling adaptation of Peter Krištúfek’s novella “Emma and the Death’s Head,” set in Slovakia during World War II.
At the time, locals had to navigate the uncharted territory of authoritarianism, when the far-right Hlinka Slovak People’s Party rose to power with the encouragement of the Nazis.
Even if cinematographer Martin Štrba hadn’t taken the camera off the tripod to shoot with the abandon generally reserved for Terrence Malick’s later films, this period piece would still seem unusually modern in its portrait of a society ruled by fear.
Here, so much relies on individual choices, honing in on a heroine harried by having to weigh her own sense of security against what she can contribute to the greater good.
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