"This young man (a Hungarian Lars von Trier?) has a temperament. There is no dead time; filmed with the camera on his shoulder (sometimes, he admits, hidden and unknown to the actors); nothing but daring and oppressing scenes (...) Tamás Polgár was himself a real juvenile delinquent and he plays his own role with a calm that is disturbing for a tamed predator. Orsi Tóth, that Hungarian Jean Seberg, possesses a mixture of innocence and perversion which should guarantee her a long career."
Jean-Luc Douin, LE MONDE

"Intense and convincing (...) Numerous are the references – without weighing the film down – to cinema’s auteurs from Antonioni to Truffaut, with references to the evils of life in the cinema of Pasolini and Fassbinder."
GIORNALE DEL POPOLO

"grim but striking slice of life from youthful (26) Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó (...) PLEASANT DAYS impresses with its frank realism, upfront sexuality and grim humour (...) shows considerable promise and showcases fine performance from its two leading actresses."
David Stratton, VARIETY

"PLEASANT DAYS depicts a savage urban reality that recalls Pasolini or early Fassbinder’s works, where unemployed youngsters vegetate in an animal’s existence. Life’s dramas seem to be of second importance, so much so that their significance is hardly perceived by the protagonists, who only communicate with swearwords, sex and violence."
Florence La Bruyère, LIBERATION

"There are brilliant moments of wit and gentleness (...) There is just so much inventive agility in the way he introduces his characters and allows their identity to develop and breathe without forcing the issue. Note: 4/5 "
Peter Bradshaw, THE GUARDIAN

"A violent and aggressive film, all of it controlled skidding. The impressive mise-en-scène uses constant fragmentation to reflect the chaos of the characters and the tension that ends up overwhelming them. (...) The hotblooded mise-en-scène makes PLEASANT DAYS a huis clos where one can sense that something’s going to crack (...). She - the baby doll with a ruined innocence. He - lovingly filmed, like a Gus Van Sant teenager."
Pierre Murat, TELERAMA

"This young director demonstrates a powerful undeniable talent. Note : 4/4"
Michel Ciment, POSITIF

Kornél Mundruczó was born in Hungary in 1975. PLEASANT DAYS, his first feature film, was awarded the Silver Leopard in Locarno in 2002. His second feature film, JOHANNA - a filmic opera adaptation of the story of Joan of Arc - was presented in Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2005. DELTA was presented In Competition at Cannes 2008 and was awarded the FIPRESCI prize.  His last film TENDER SON: THE FRANKENSTEIN PROJECT premiered in competition at Cannes in 2010.

Filmography

2010 TENDER SON - THE FRANKENSTEIN PROJECT, 105 min.
2008 DELTA, 92 min.
2005 JOHANNA, 83 min.
2005 LOST AND FOUND (collective) "Short Lasting Silence", 20 min.
2004 LITTLE APOCRYPHA NO.2, 15 min.
2003 JOAN OF ARC ON THE NIGHT BUS, 24 min.
2002 LITTLE APOCRYPHA NO.1, 5 min.
2002 PLEASANT DAYS, 85 min.
2001 AFTA, 25 min.
2000 THIS I WISH AND NOTHING MORE, Graduation film, 78 min.

Crew

Director: Kornél Mundruczó
Script: Kornél Mundroczó,
Producer: Zsófia Kende, Viktória Petrányi, Sándor Zsótér, Kórnel Sopos, Philippe Bober
Production Company: Laurinfilm
Director of Photography: András Nagy
Editor: Vanda Arányi, Delphine Boudon
Sound: Gábor Balázs

Technical Information

Category: First Feature Film / Fiction
Original Language: Hungarian
Format: 35mm / colour
Screen Ratio: 1:1.85
Speed: 24 frames/second
Sound: DTS
Number of Reels: 5
Footage: 2326m

PREMIERE

Locarno 2002, Competition

MAIN AWARDS

Locarno 2002, Silver Leopard
Sofia 2002, Best Film
Brussels 2002, Best Film
Angers 2003, Best Actress

ADDITIONAL SELECTIONS

European Film Awards 2002, European Discovery of the Year