Depth becomes Him
Lost soul journeys through subway hell in dark, stylish 'Kontroll'

There's no such thing as a free ride, either in the world as we know it, or in the alternate reality inhabited by the Hungarian metaphysical thriller Kontroll (Control). Directed and co-scripted by American-born Hungarian filmmaker Nimród Antal, and shot entirely within the shadowy bowels of the Budapest underground subway system, the story is ostensibly about the crews of ticket inspectors who roam the trains in search of passengers who haven't paid. But Antal's film is also a dark, mordantly comic vision of Purgatory, where nobody rides for free.

Every morning, crews of "ticket control officers" assemble in their subterranean command central for their assignments. They're a haggard and increasingly derelict-looking lot, pasty from lack of daylight, and dressed in rumpled street clothes to blend in with the passengers who revile them. Antal zeroes in one one crew whose members include a weary veteran called Professor, a hotheaded fellow afflicted with narcolepsy, and a youngster just learning the ropes.

Their crew leader is Bulscú (Sándor Csányi), a shambling, hollow-eyed, yet oddly soulful character who suffers from chronic nosebleed, like a diver who's been under the surface for too long. In fact, Busclú has abdicated the daylight world altogether, rambling through the tunnels at night and sleeping on the platforms. It's suggested that Bulscú once had a thriving professional career above ground, but the pressure to succeed became too overwhelming and he fell from grace.

Now he's stuck in the netherworld, one of the faceless army attempting to control unruly passengers on their own journeys who resent the interference. It's a risky business. Irate passengers insult the ticket officers, spit on them, pull knives, punch them in the face, even hurl gypsy curses at them. The frustrated officers' suppressed angst bubbles up in increasingly hostile ways. Into this volatile mix, a rash of "jumpers" (suicides who throw themselves under speeding trains) has "the suits" up in arms. Wandering around all night, Bulscú begins to have close encounters with a sinister stranger in a black hood. Or does he?

This premise is set up as a conventional mystery, with overtones of psychological thriller, but viewers seeking absolute soluions to its puzzles may be disappointed. Kontroll is far more enjoyable in terms of allegory and atmosphere. Lost soul Bulscú's self-imposed exile in Limbo unfolds under watchful eyes from on high, from the video cameras placed above every platform, to a pair of giant, backlit rotating fans at the end of a dark tunnel. When supervisors interrogate him in the command post, the giant route map with its pulsing red neon bulbs turn the scene into a blazing Inferno. "How do I get out of here?" Bulscú asks his friend, Béla (Lajos Kovács), a tippling train driver. "There are many ways out," Béla replies, Yoda-like. Béla's free-spirited daughter, Szofi (Eszter Balla) wears a giant bear suit through most of the film (um…maybe you have to be Hungarian to get that one), but when Bulscú is ready to move on, she appears in angel wings.

Csányi anchors the film with his easygoing presence as detatched, down-to-earth, Bulscú. Tough enough for "railing" (running on the tracks ahead of a speeding train to see who reaches the platform first), in answer to a rival crew leader's challenge, Csányi also lets us glimpse the spark of returning humanity in Bulscú's guarded demeanor as he and Szofi begin to bond. Like Szofi, we're rawn to Bulscú despite the split lip, cuts, and blood that adorn his and his fellow officers' faces throughout the movie. These wounds sometimes seem as capricious as Marty Feldman's traveling hump in Young Frankenstein, and not always related to specific injuries; rather, they are badges of both physical and psychic encounters with the denizens of the underworld. Minions as well as those just passing through pay for their season in Hell, and no one gets out unscathed. But a lucky few gain enough wisdom to rise to the next level.

KONTROLL (CONTROL) With Sándor Csányi. Written by Jim Adler and Nimród Antal. Directed by Nimród Antal. A THINKFilm release. Rated R. 110 minutes. In Hungarian with English subtitles. (***)
Review published in Good Times, June 30, 2005