Bela Tarr: Symbol of Patience and Slowness in the Era of Fast Movies

Staff Report: PNN

Some meetings are not planned; time itself orchestrates them. My encounter with legendary Hungarian filmmaker Bela Tarr at the 27th Kerala International Film Festival (IFFK) in 2022 became such a memorable experience—gaining more significance after his passing.

We were invited to the festival for our film “Priyo Satyajit.” Though not in the competition section, the main reason for attending was Bela Tarr. Our film was screened on December 12 and 14, followed by a special dinner in his honor on December 15.

At the dinner, Bela Tarr sat at the middle table. Slightly weary with age, his personality remained steadfast. Beside him was his companion—calm, serene, and always smiling. The atmosphere was silently respectful, as if time flowed slowly like his long cinematic shots. Many maintained a respectful distance.

Yet, once introductions were made, the distance disappeared. He reached out, invited me to sit beside him, and began speaking naturally. There was no trace of a legendary persona. He inquired about Bangladeshi cinema and our film with genuine curiosity. We discussed cinema, life, favorite drinks, and the kinds of films that still intrigued him.

He spoke like someone who had nothing left to prove. He listened attentively, as if each person had a unique story. The next day, at a crowded auditorium in Thiruvananthapuram, he spoke for nearly two hours. His voice was restrained and calm, like his films.

He explained the philosophy of long shots, seeing time not as strategy but as a moral stance. At one point, he chose to stop making films—not for lack of producers, but because he felt he had said what he needed to say. He preferred silence over words. In an era of fast-paced cinema, he stood for patience, slowness, and observation.

At that dinner and the following day, it felt like I was witnessing not just a filmmaker being honored, but a philosophy—a belief standing firmly. Bela Tarr is no longer with us, but the silence he valued remains around us, like his films and philosophy.