Hukkle

UPC: 037429206522

Studio: Homevision

Summary: Hukkle, named for the sound of an old man's hiccups, which recur throughout the film, is a nearly wordless aural and visual exploration of life in a depressed Hungarian town. Director Gy?rgy P?lfi uses extreme close-ups and slow motion to look at both human and natural life in the town. As the film progresses, a few narrative threads emerge. A cart driver spies on a young shepherd girl. A man and woman proudly watch as their prize hogs mate. The farming and manufacturing work of the town continues. The women seem to work harder than the men. An old woman prepares a meal for her family. A cat and a little girl die soon after eating from the same dish. A beekeeper crushes a bee between his fingers. A mole catches and eats a worm, only to be slaughtered by a gardener's hoe. As a murder mystery slowly unravels, a policeman contemplates taking action, though he knows it will rock the town to its foundations. Hukkle was shown at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival and at the 2003 edition of New Directors/New Films. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Fassbinder Award – European Film Academy

Features: Digital transfer enhanced for 16:9 tvs
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Audio commentary with Hukkle director and cinematographer
The making of Hukkle
Pre-production footage
Excerpts from detailed production diary
Theatrical trailer
Essay by Andrew James Horton, of Kinoeye

Hukkle

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 07/26/2005

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo, DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 75 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Opening Credits [2:39]
2. The Old Man Hiccups [2:31]
3. At the Spring [2:24]
4. Sheep and Shepherdess [5:01]
5. The Old Lady Harvests [1:14]
6. It's on Film [1:11]
7. A Game of Bowling [1:03]
8. Pig Mating [2:38]
9. Factory Women [4:23]
10. Grain Harvest [1:51]
11. Family Meal [4:34]
12. Funeral Procession [4:26]
13. Bees and Honey [2:36]
14. Leftovers for Dinner [4:05]
15. Mole [3:56]
16. The Policeman Eats [4:23]
17. Crime Scene at the Pond [4:09]
18. Fish for Dinner [5:45]
19. Funeral Procession [1:03]
20. Fighter Jet [3:21]
21. Police Station [3:44]
22. Casks in the Cave [2:49]
23. Wedding Dinner [2:56]
24. Rainstorm at Night [1:06]
25. End Credits [4:24]

Josh Ralske

Gy?rgy P?lfi's borderline non-narrative Hukkle is a delightful oddity. P?lfi begins his film, like David Lynch's Blue Velvet, by getting down in the dirt and suggesting that there's something ugly and dangerous lurking beneath the placid surface of a small town. The town in question is a backward farming community where many of the men seem idle, while the women work in both the fields and the factories. Eschewing dialogue, Hukkle effectively tells its story through images and, just as importantly, sound effects, which are often synchronized with the hiccups of an old man who functions as a sort of amusingly silent Greek chorus. There are times when the action slows, literally, to a crawl, but the film's brief running time contains enough quietly amusing moments to hold one's attention, not to mention a few amazingly shot effects sequences. The loose "plot" of the film, involving several murders taking place in the town, is one of Hukkle's weaker points, but it helps to illuminate P?lfi's surprisingly cynical world view, as what at first appears to be a sweet little idyll in the country turns out to be something much darker. The film's strongest selling point is its startling close-up images of man, machine, and nature in action. There are stunning sequences (shot by DP Gergely Poh?rnok) of a fish being caught, of a mole being slaughtered under the earth, and of a jet which briefly flies in, seemingly from out of nowhere, with literally earth-shaking results. Despite its considerable flash, Hukkle, like the mystery at its center, doesn't really seem to add up to much. But as a novelty item, it's got a lot going for it. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Balazs Barna  Composer (Music Score) 
Csaba Bereczki  Producer 
Andras Bohm  Producer 
Samu Gryllus  Composer (Music Score) 
György Pálfi  Director 
György Pálfi  Screenwriter 
Ferenc Bandi  Actor 
Mrs. Jozsef Racz  Actor 
Jozsef Farkas  Actor 
Ferenc Nagy  Actor 
Mrs. Ferenc Virag  Actor 
Janos F. Kovacs  Actor 
Mrs. Janos Nagy  Actor 
Agi Margitai  Actor 
Eszter Onodi  Actor 
Attila Kaszas  Actor 
Katalin Balatoni  Actor 

Country: Hungary