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Poster for Fateless

Fateless

Seen it?

2005 | 140 min | War, Drama

Saturday Specialearly rating

Why it’s a Saturday Special

Critics loved it (94% on Rotten Tomatoes) and it made about 48 times its budget, despite almost no lasting buzz. A strong pick for the weekend.

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

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for history buffs. If you loved Casualties of War or The Deer Hunter, start here.
The mood
Intense.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 20 min.
What might put you off
It's in another language, so expect subtitles (or a dub).

A Hungarian youth comes of age at Buchenwald during World War II. György Köves is 14, the son of a merchant who's sent to a forced labor camp. After his father's departure, György gets a job at a brickyard; his bus is stopped and its Jewish occupants sent to camps. There, György find camaraderie, suffering, cruelty, illness, and death. He hears advice on preserving one's dignity and self-esteem. He discovers hatred. If he does survive and returns to Budapest, what will he find? What is natural; what is it to be a Jew? Sepia, black and white, and color alternate to shade the mood.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsVery strong

    94% on Rotten Tomatoes, 87 on Metacritic

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsWeak

    0 wins and 3 nominations from smaller awards and festivals

  • Box office & staying powerStrong

    $12 million worldwide on a $250K budget; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactWeak

    About 11K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Lajos Koltai

  • Marcell NagyGyörgy Köves
  • Béla DóraSmoker
  • Bálint PéntekPretty boy
  • Áron DiményBandi Citrom
  • Péter FancsikaiOlder Kollmann boy
  • Zsolt DérRozi
  • András M. KecskésFinn
  • Dani SzabóMoskovich
  • Tibor MertzFodor
  • Péter VidaLénárt