SWEET EMMA, DEAR BÖBE
Everything stays different? - The Wild Nineties
Shortly after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Russian disappears from the curriculum taught in Hungarian schools – young teachers Emma and Böbe have to be retrained to teach English instead. Every day, they are forced to fight for adequate income and a shred of social esteem in hostile Budapest. Neither shy Emma nor the seemingly more pragmatic Böbe are able to overcome the resulting loneliness and despair. Shot quickly and relying primarily on improvisation, István Szabó’s film treats personal loss due to systemic change and focuses on those who are at risk of falling by the wayside in the new situation.
ÉDES EMMA, DRÁGA BÖBE / SÜSSE EMMA, LIEBER BÖBE
HUN, DEU 1991 / 78 min
Language: Hungarian
Director:
- Screenplay: István Szabó, Andrea Vészits
- Cast: Johanna ter Steege, Enikő Börcsök, Péter Andorai, Éva Kerekes, Hédi Temessy
- Production Company: Mafilm Objektív Stúdió, Mafilm-Dialóg Studio, Videovox Studio, Manfred Durniok Produktion für Film und Fernsehen
- Rights Holder: Hungarian National Film Archive
Shortly after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Russian disappears from the curriculum taught in Hungarian schools – young teachers Emma and Böbe have to be retrained to teach English instead. Every day, they are forced to fight for adequate income and a shred of social esteem in hostile Budapest. Neither shy Emma nor the seemingly more pragmatic Böbe are able to overcome the resulting loneliness and despair. Shot quickly and relying primarily on improvisation, István Szabó’s film treats personal loss due to systemic change and focuses on those who are at risk of falling by the wayside in the new situation.
- Screenplay: István Szabó, Andrea Vészits
- Cast: Johanna ter Steege, Enikő Börcsök, Péter Andorai, Éva Kerekes, Hédi Temessy
- Production Company: Mafilm Objektív Stúdió, Mafilm-Dialóg Studio, Videovox Studio, Manfred Durniok Produktion für Film und Fernsehen
- Rights Holder: Hungarian National Film Archive