Twilight — Twilight(Blu Ray)

Twilight (aka Szürkület) is an early 90’s Hungarian drama-come-crime mystery regarding the murder of a young girl in a small rural village. The monochrome-scoped film crawls along at a slow and extremely moody pace- nodding towards filmmakers such as Béla Tarr, and early Werner Herzog- though there are also moments of creepy unease and even the occasional jump scare- which within the context of the films pace are even more nerve-jangling. Here from Second Run is a region-free release of the film- featuring a new 4k scan of the movie, new interviews with crew members, and a selection of appreciation interviews.

Twilight appeared in the year 1990. It was directed/co-written by Budapest-born György Fehér. Between 1973 and 1998 he had eleven credits to his name- taking in nine TV movies/ TV episodes, and just two features taking in the film at hand & Passion (1998) which is an arthouse version of James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice- which ran at just over two and a half hour mark.
 
The film is based in a small countryside village set near a brooding woodland & ominous mountainscapes. And really, it’s more about a grim tone and bleak mood- than a detailed/ complex plot. Basically, it regards a balding near-retirement detective- brought in to find who killed a young girl- who was also sexually abused before her death. Yes, other characters come into the film- most notably a moustached & ragged-looking man- who may know the lead detective- but these just drift through the film's lulling & grim crawl.
 
I guess you could call what we have here is doomed post-noir, with some light horror undertones. The film comes in at a fairly brief (by arthouse standards) one hour & forty- but due to the deliberately slow-paced camera work, and at points acting- it feels more like three hours- mostly in a good way. Along the film's length, we have some truly spellbinding, though often eerie scenes/ imagery presented to us. There’s a very slow panning shot of a group of ill-defined townspeople standing in grey mist. Figures lurk and shuffle either through murky landscapes, into woodland or along the side of buildings. 

We also have some very skin-crawling/ generally unsettling moments- key of these being the two scenes where an adult talks/ interviews a child with just the back of the adult’s head & their voice heard.

Fitting the film's pace/ tone we have light touches of score present- though more often than not we are just left with the sound of the environment or just the slowed dialogue. When music does appear it often sounds stretched or droned out in its tone, and this of course enhances the whole haunted and doomed quality of the film.
 
I certainly think that Twilight is a film you need to know what you're getting into. Yes, there is a mystery/ crime element here, but the focus is very much on the tone/ pace of the film. So, if you are going into the film expecting a rewarding crime mystery, that unfolds intriguingly- with a solid resolve. You won’t get it, and to be honest, you also might be more than a little frustrated/even bored. I’d say you’ll need to be aware of the work of György's fellow countryman Béla Tarr- as the film is very Tarr-like in its deliberately slowed pace/ use of moody monochrome to fully enjoy what Twilight has to offer.
 
 

Moving onto this new region free Blu Ray. And we get a wonderfully clean & crisp new 4K scan of the film- which really pulls you deeper into the film's gloomily entrancing world. On the extra side, we get a bumper crop of things- first off we get two new interviews- one is with the film's cinematographer Miklós Gurbán( 34.38), and the other with the film's editor Mária Czeilk(30.50). These are both filmed and subtitled interviews- with Gurbán & Czeilk giving some great insights into working with director György Fehér.
 
Next, we get a series of on-film appreciation- each of these is filmed, and we get a nice selection of folk talking about their love for the film. From film-makers- Quay Brothers(21.34), Peter Strickland(13.56), and James Norton(3.38). And critic and author Chris Fujiwara( 18.04). With a trailer finishing off the extras on the disc.
 
As with all of Second Run releases- we get a glossy inlay booklet. This runs twenty pages- featuring a fourteen-page essay by filmmaker and curator Stanley Schtinter. As well as full film credits, and a few stills & behind-scenes pictures.

Twilight will appeal to those who revel in the glum, grim, and moodily bleak side of cinema. It certainly is wonderful to have this new Blu-Ray release of the film- with a truly excellent scan, and a good selection of extras. Another great release from the folks at Second Run.