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Gloomy Sunday

Name: Gloomy Sunday
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: 1999-10-21
Cast: Marozsán Erika, Joachim Król, Ben Becker, Stefano Dionisi, András Bálint

1999 | 112 min | Drama, Romance

Sunday Safe Betearly rating

Why it’s a Sunday Safe Bet

It earned strong reviews (84% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had almost no lasting buzz and soft box office. A safe bet when you want something reliable.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it: Made for romantics. If you loved Fatal Attraction or Monster's Ball, start here.
The mood: Harrowing, warm and romantic.
The pace: Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 52 min.
What might put you off: It's in German, so expect subtitles (or a dub).

Budapest in the 1930s. Restaurant owner Laszlo hires pianist András to play in his restaurant. Both men fall in love with the beautiful waitress Ilona who inspires András to his only composition. His song of Gloomy Sunday is, at first, loved and then feared, for its melancholic melody sets off a chain of suicides. The fragile balance of the erotic ménage à trois is sent off kilter when the German Hans falls in love with Ilona as well.

How it earned its rating

CriticsStrong
84% on Rotten Tomatoes, 60 on Metacritic
AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
Box office & staying powerBelow par
$586K worldwide; still draws a steady audience long after release
Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 15K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Rolf Schübel

Marozsán ErikaIlona
Joachim KrólLászló
Ben BeckerHans Wieck
Stefano DionisiAndrás
András BálintIlonas Sohn
Géza BorosGeigenspieler
Rolf BeckerDer alte Wieck
Ilse ZielstorffFrau Wieck
Ferenc BácsBotschafter
Júlia ZsolnaiFrau Botschafter