My 20th Century
| My 20th Century | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Ildikó Enyedi |
| Written by | Ildikó Enyedi |
| Produced by | Archy Dolder Norbert Friedländer Gábor Sarudi Andrej Schwartz |
| Starring | Dorota Segda |
| Cinematography | Tibor Máthé |
| Edited by | Mária Rigó |
| Music by | László Vidovszky |
| Distributed by | Aries Films (United States) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 102 minutes |
| Countries | Hungary Germany Cuba |
| Language | Hungarian |
My 20th Century (Hungarian: Az én XX. századom) is a 1989 Hungarian comedy-drama film written and directed by Ildikó Enyedi. It premiered at the Toronto Festival of Festivals. Enyedi won the Golden Camera award at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival.[1] The film was selected as the Hungarian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 62nd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[2]
Plot
In Budapest in 1880, two twin daughters, Dóra and Lili, are born. After their mother dies, the twins support themselves by selling matches in the street. When they fall asleep one night, two men take their matches and, after a coin flip, each takes a girl and they go their separate ways.
On New Year's Eve 1900, Dóra, a drifter, finds herself aboard the Orient Express trying to scam two men out of money. In Austria, Lili, now a revolutionary, boards the train where she is briefly seen by Dóra, who is drunk and instantly forgets her.
At a library, Lili encounters Z, a man who will not stop staring at her. The two become acquainted and Z falls in love with her, but Lili, who is carrying a bomb which she plans to use to kill the minister of the interior, remains focused on her politics even when her plot fails.
Later, Z encounters Dóra on a boat. Believing her to be Lili, he gives her the number of his cabin where she robs him and the two later have sex.
When Z and Lili meet again, he takes her to his apartment. Lili, who had previously sexually rejected Z, apologizes to him and tells him she regrets her previous decision. Believing that Lili is apologizing for robbing him, Z takes her to his apartment and they have sex. The following evening Lili attacks the minister with a bomb, but after looking into his eyes she blows out the bomb and runs away. Seeking refuge from a crowd of police, Lili hides in a fun house where, turning a corner, she sees Dóra. Z finds his way there as well and briefly sees them both together before the two run away from him.
Cast
- Dorota Segda - Dóra / Lili / Anya (as Dorotha Segda)
- Oleg Yankovskiy - Z
- Paulus Manker - Otto Weininger
- Péter Andorai - Thomas Edison
- Gábor Máté - K
- Gyula Kéry - ékszerész (as Kéri Gyula)
- Andrej Schwartz - Segéd
- Sándor Téri - Huszár (as Téry Sándor)
- Sándor Czvetkó - Young anarchist
- Endre Koronczi - Liftboy
- Ágnes Kovács & Eszter Kovács - Baby twins
See also
- List of submissions to the 62nd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Hungarian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: My 20th Century". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
- ^ Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
External links
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