MoPoshy
Absolutely brilliant
FuzzyTagz
If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
Livestonth
I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible
Robert Joyner
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
Lee Eisenberg
Pál Gábor's "Angi Vera" (spelled Vera Angi when written western style*) tells a story that probably happened more than a few times in real life. The title character (Vera Pap) is a young woman working in a hospital in post-WWII Hungary. When she complains about the unsanitary conditions in the hospital, they send her to a re-education camp. In the camp, she falls in love with another prisoner (Tamás Dunai), while informers ensure that nothing will be pleasant in the camp.The main thing that I derived from "Angi Vera" is how little changed socially in Eastern Europe after WWII. As with the Nazis, the Soviet-backed governments were all about cronyism, resulting in inefficient industry and unsafe working conditions. In a way, it came full-circle into the US: Bush's appointment of a horse trainer as FEMA director -- in addition to moving FEMA to the Department of Homeland Security, thereby turning it into a bureaucratic nightmare -- resulted in Hurricane Katrina destroying New Orleans.Anyway, this is certainly a good movie. It's always important to keep this history alive, especially as cronyism and corruption persist the world over. Also starring Erzsi Pásztor, Éva Szabó, László Halász and László Horváth.*Hungary uses the East Asian name order, in which the family name goes in front. Unlike the East Asian countries, Hungarian names are reversed when written in other countries.
treagan-2
I haven't seen Angi Vera since its initial release, but I have always remembered its honesty and insight into how the institutionalization of ideals ultimately gets corrupted.Angi Vera, as a promising young woman, gets invited to a Communist training center to undergo the next level of indoctrination into Party life.She begins to realize how people get ahead in the Party: by saying things they don't mean but think are politically correct; by becoming friends with Party dignitaries, even if you don't like them; by being seen as a dedicated worker (as opposed to actually being a dedicated worker).I believe this experience has been felt by many, inside and outside politics, or the left, but also in church work, corporations, non-profit organizations, etc. Strong organizations with good leadership build in safeguards for toadyism that gets encouraged by mid-level teachers and managers.It's interesting this film was made under a Communist regime. I associate it with MAN OF MARBLE and MAN OF IRON, films with a similar theme—and an attack on Eastern Block Communist indoctrination and public relations, also made while Communists were still in power.The film is slow-moving, but very effective and subtle, and feels very authentic.
paulet
This movie shows the transformation of a young, brave rebel into a calculating Party apparatchik in Cold War Hungary. For anyone who views Communism as a tragedy, this is an unforgettable human illustration of how that tragedy happens
Jeff Dantowitz
Politics and love hardly ever mix, but those pesky filmmakers are always exploring it anyway. Angi is torn, typically, between her duty and her emotions. Her choice and her actions are at times surprising, but the film is generally bland, bleak, and maybe even boring. The characters are well developed, though, and to be honest I was interested to see what the end would have to offer.