About

Béla Tarr’s haunting, cosmic masterpiece has been hailed as one of the great films of the past three decades. Susan Sontag once said of it, “I’d be glad to see it every year for the rest of my life.”

In a desolate Hungarian village, members of a failed communal farming initiative plot ways to extract themselves from the collective, and make it in the world beyond. When Irimiás (Mihály Vig) - a charismatic member of their group who was presumed dead - returns into their fold, the villagers are led on a mysterious mission. Their hopes for a brighter future mingle with fear and mistrust about Irimiás’ opaque objectives. Adapted from the novel by László Krasznahorkai, the film’s non-linear plot follows the structure of tango: six steps forward, six steps back. In the unwavering directorial vision of Tarr, the rhythms and textures of everyday life hang in a timeless realm. Virtually unseeable for many years, Sátántangó is now presented in a lustrous 4K digital restoration.

The film has a runtime of 439 minutes, plus two short intermissions. Béla Tarr requested that the viewing experience should be disrupted as little as possible. After 137 minutes there is a 30-minute intermission. The second part is 125 minutes long, followed by a 20-minute intermission. The final part is 177 minutes.

Ages 18+ | Contains mature themes, contains scenes of animal cruelty and infant death