Conflicting forces: post-communist and mythical bodies in Kornél Mundruczó's films

Abstract

ABSTRACTPostmodernist narrative styles and thematic approaches encouraged by poststructuralist discourses appeared in Hungarian film culture after 2000 with the emergence of a new generation of filmmakers. Despite their breakthrough in national and international art-house circles, however, the films of these directors did not bring about a profound renewal in gender politics or representations of the body. This article will analyse how different artistic and cultural impulses clash in the representation of the body in contemporary Hungarian cinema. This conflict is demonstrated in Kornél Mundruczó's work, who was the most promising newcomer in terms of an innovative representation of the body and gender issues, and who is still one of the most successful members of this generation on the festival and art-house circuit. This article argues that Mundruczó's work has two different phases: in the first, gender issues are represented in a sociological context and evoke culturally specific bodily experiences; while in the second, characters are portrayed in a more universal context and the human body is utilized more emphatically as a metaphor. The change in style and bodily representation will be demonstrated by analysing two feature films from the first period and one from the second stage of Mundruczó's career.