Known for Acting
Karcsi, a Roma policeman, lives with Eva, a Swede. One day he is called to the scene of the murder of a wealthy trafficker named Schulter. He begins to investigate the crime, interrogate neighbours and suspects, and untangle a complex situation - one that he, himself, complicates even further. For he is a gypsy, who despite being adopted and raised by "regular" Hungarians, has his nose rubbed in his minority status every day. The film, which is based on the novel by Ákos Kertész, is a shrewd genre work full of dusky humour and surreal situations. Tabló follows a vivid succession of strange images that eventually lead to the emergence of the central story about a charismatic police officer on a tireless quest for the truth, though he must fight against virtually everyone and is just as fallible as the next person. Tabló makes a statement on the issue of race and racism - or, indeed, relations between any minority and majority.
Trumpet player Géza Elekes does not play very well in his private life, and his fourth marriage has failed. One day he gets a call from his father, whom he hasn't spoken to in decades. This prompts her and her son, András, who is in the thick of things, to visit her parents, who live across the border. When he arrives in Transylvania, his father says he is fed up with her jealousy and moves in with him. Géza reluctantly accepts the idea, but eventually the three men set off for Budapest. Along the way, they face many trials and tribulations: hit-and-runs, chases, women, corpses and the green border.
What do Hansel and his wife dream of in a one-and-a-half bedroom in a housing estate? They dream of being happy, successful and rich. They dream of the American dream. And because his father has been a US citizen for thirty years, they finally muster up the courage and all the money they can to embark on the great adventure. They fly across the ocean to start a new life in the promised land of their rebellious teenage daughter. True, they know only a few English words. In fact, all they know about America is what they see in movies and on TV. But they have great faith in Papa John, because John knows "what life is all about". The grandfather is both the typical Las Vegas retiree and the proud Hungarian who owns a real junkyard. Jenő is a true survivalist and a desert philosopher, whose great banalities are sometimes interspersed with real wisdom.
