Satan's Tango

This film (drama)Also known asSátántangó，is aHungary, Germany, SwitzerlandProducerwomen sex，At1994Released in year 。The dialogue language isHungarian，Current Douban rating8.9(For reference only)。

"With a runtime of seven hours, each minute is powerful and captivating. I hope to rewatch it every year while I am alive." — Susan Sontag The opening eight-minute tracking shot already reveals the epic spirit of this film. A herd of cattle rushes out of a barn, with the camera tracking through a row of dilapidated farmhouses. Interestingly, they charge ahead blindly while also attempting to mate. The Tarkovsky-like visuals are typical of Tarr's haunting style, deftly foreshadowing how a collective farm descends into ruin. The story begins with a rumored dead conman returning to the village; he aims to steal the farm's income but is seen by the villagers as a great savior. What follows is a tragedy, then a satirical tale. The entire film is structured into twelve chapters, inspired by Krashnahorkai's original work, echoing the dance of tango—six steps forward, six steps back—where different perspectives sometimes repeat the same narrative. The farm's ultimate fate serves as a metaphor for the collapse of communism in the early '90s, reflecting on the shared fate of humanity. The two most brilliant segments of the film include a doctor, acting as the narrator, secretly documenting the villagers' activities; his unsteady, drunken following of the camera becomes a poignant viewing experience. Another segment features a girl tormenting a cat, marking one of cinema's most heart-wrenching moments. There is no pretense; the frankness in storytelling allows actors to exist in real time, letting audiences breathe in sync with their emotions, manifesting the director's deepest affection and respect for cinema. Every shot in the seven-and-a-half-hour film is immortal—not static in the conventional sense but possessing an organic internal rhythm. Like Ozu and Dreyer, Tarr understands the essence of long takes. This is an experience that must be lived, a once-in-a-lifetime cinematic journey.