Forest

One of the major debuts of 2003, writer/director Fliegauf's zero-budget movie announces a film-maker not merely of immense promise, but of impressive achievement. The large cast supposedly consists of unpaid non-pros. If true, either Hungary has a huge reservoir of untapped thespian talent, or Fliegauf is some kind of genius at handling 'performers'. There's not one unconvincing moment in any of the intense two-handers between people in various kinds of relationship or personality crisis. Poetic and elliptical, Forest is a portrait of modern society which, though enigmatic, is never less than absorbing or accessible. It's a mood piece hovering between comedy and nightmare, in which innocuous exchanges detour into the most troubling and sinister territory.