FLAME

Director’s statement

In our film, we underline the crisis caused by divorce from the perspective of the teen aged protagonist—a kind of problem that causes more and more teenagers suffering in Hungary and around the world. In the aftermath of the crisis, the protagonist goes through difficult, nightmarish experiences: alongside real, increasingly tense situations, the externalizations of her inner world put her to a test—she has to free herself from all this. The story is framed as a realistic family drama, but as the film progresses, the elements of neo-horror and supernatural genres continue to build. At the end of her challenging path, the protagonist is more able to accept her family’s situation, she grows stronger, but continues to hold her tensions inside her.

Our aim is to produce a film that can speak to the Z-generation and their parents, and bring them into conversation with one other.

Producer's statement

Two years ago, we prepared a service design study about what interests teenagers today. This research project brought in very interesting results. Many teenagers are impacted most significantly by their parents‘ or their friend’s parents‘ divorce. They live with it, they are afraid of it. While many families go through divorce, this becomes the defining experience of the teenagers‘ lives, and while they aren’t the main actors, they perhaps suffer the most from it.
György’s previous work has been characteristic for its exacting and delicately-woven, minimalist story lines. I would like him to demonstrate his sensitivity to genre, as well as his ability to take a glance into his characters‘ deepest layers, to the extent that a teenager’s perceptions become our real, lived experience.
FLAME is the film proposal for this undertaking—well-suited for a second film proposal, because it is universal, remains manageable within a solid framework, and will continue to pose challenges to the artist.