Symbiosis
The wedding of a Swabian girl and a Székely boy tears open old wounds. Romeo and Juliet in the rural Hungary of the eighties, with a much more positive ending.
What is it about?
Palotabozsok and Somberek are neighboring villages in Baranya county. They are preparing for a wedding in the two settlements. The bride is from Swabia, the groom is from Székely. The young people love each other, but the two families are against the marriage. Mutual prejudices are rooted in the historical past.
What makes it special?
Togetherness is both a sensitive historical study and a detailed portrait of a small community. Lívia Gyarmathy speaks to the residents of the village one by one, arranging the interviews around the wedding. From the testimonies in front of the camera and the explanations of external experts, we can gradually get to know the history of the Szeklers and Swabians. The history of mutual distrust goes back a long way. In the film, the weight of history weighs on the characters. The tragedy of the Second World War is passed down through generations. Együttelés, with great empathy and attention, nevertheless objectively unfolds the conflicts lost in the mists of the past. Human dramas and major socio-political events unfold before us at the same time.
How was it made?
While visiting the villages shown in the film, Lívia Gyarmathy was shocked to realize that due to the whims of history, two very different ethnic groups are forced to live in the same place. The creators wanted to show this particular situation in a single film. Együttélés was made in 1980 and 1981, but the finished work was held back by censorship. According to the official position, there is peace in Hungary, there is no need to open old wounds. The film got a green light after a minor slip-up.
Where is its place in (Hungarian) film history?
In the 1980s, many important historical documentaries were made. These works directed attention to widely unknown facts and connections by giving voice to those involved. Lívia Gyarmathy’s documentary was also shown in domestic cinemas, and nearly 93,000 people bought tickets for it in the year of its release. It was featured in the programs of several international festivals, and in 1984 it won the Hungarian Film Critics Award.