Winner of the Golden Bear at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival, On Body and Soul tells the unique love story between two introverted people who work at meat processing plant. One’s a world-weary financial director and the other is a strict quality controller, and both find they share a lot more in common than first anticipated. After a break-in at the factory, workers soon find themselves under observation and through a strange turn of events it’s revealed that both characters have been sharing the same dream. Due to this unexpected coincidence they then begin to find out more about each other’s lives and form a unique bond.
Having recently been announced as Hungary’s Foreign Language entry into the 90th Academy Awards, it’s not hard to see why so much praise has been heaped upon Ildiko Enyedi’s long awaited return to the silver screen. The directing is impeccable, the cinematography is breathtaking and the performances are brilliantly executed. It’s the two leads however in which the film hinges upon and both actors are able to portray their characters with aplomb.
Géza Morcsányi plays Endre, a man who has suffered a stroke and has almost given up on love entirely with sincere authenticity whereas Alexandra Borbély is able to put in a deeply mesmerizing performance as Mária, a precise quality inspector who shows signs of autistic behaviour. With both characters suffering from their own personal setbacks, their shared dreams provide them with a platform to escape from the mundanity of everyday life. It’s only after they realise they share the same dreams that they attempt to strive for something more.
The human condition is a running theme throughout, with the abattoir setting being the perfect backdrop for many of the characters that all in one way or another seem to be wounded by life. Whether it’s the breakdown of a marriage, a past crime or the inability to function as most others do, all the characters have their own trials and tribulations in which they’re fighting to overcome. Although the pacing at times can feel excruciatingly slow and the interactions can be brutally awkward, On Body and Soul is a film which requires patience.
Although it may not resonate with mainstream audiences, Ildikó Enyedi has crafted a film that will find its fair share of admirers. Having already won an award and earning heaps of praise amongst the critical community, it’s safe to say that Enyedi’s return has been a resounding success. With an interesting premise, which focuses on two unique individuals, this is a love story like no other that’s been seen before.
ON BODY AND SOUL / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: ILDIKO ENYEDI / STARRING: GEZA MORCSANYI, ALEXANDRA BORBELY, ZOLTAN SCHNEIDER / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
