"An American Rhapsody"
When the oppression of the Communist regime running 1950's Hungary proved too much, Margit (Nastassja Kinski) and Peter (Tony Goldwyn) take their eldest daughter and flee for the refuge of America. But, they are forced to leave their baby, Suzanne, behind to be raised by a kind, childless couple for six years until they can manage to bring the little girl here, too. Longtime film editor Eva Gardos takes the helm and tells her own story about coming to America in "An American Rhapsody."
Working from her own script, Gardos brings us back to a tumultuous time as the specter of communism descends upon the people of Central Europe, bringing to a halt the hopes of freedom that arose from the ashes of World War II. Book publisher Peter see the writing on the wall of Stalin's growing hegemony on his beloved Hungary and makes plans to spirit his family out of the country. His scheme go awry when he and his wife, Margit, are forced to leave baby Suzanne in the hands of the child's grandma, Helen (Agnes Banfalvy). Helen is soon arrested for her complicity in the couple's escape and Suzanne spends her formative years with Jeno (Balazs Galko) and Teri (Zsuzsa Czinkoczi) on an idyllic farm in the country.
Margit, in the meantime, has not forgotten her baby and lobbies untiringly to get her daughter back. She succeeds and, in a flurry of media attention, six-year old Suzanne (Kelly Endresz Banlaki) arrives on American soil. But, the little girl has only known Teri and Jeno as her parents and, while growing close to Peter, has never embraced Margit as her mother. The estrangement deepens when Suzanne reaches teen hood and the young girl rebels at the overprotective hand of her birth mother. Things come to a head when mom puts bars on her daughter's windows and an outside lock on her door. Suzanne calls in a promise made to her years before by Peter to go back to Hungary to the "parents" she loves. Margit, reluctantly, lets her daughter go. Once back "home" again, the young woman comes of age and realizes the importance and love of her real family.
I must laud Eva Gardos for her dedication in bringing her story to the screen. Her effort borders on amateur at times and the overall work comes across as something made-for-television, but there are some good things about it, too. The best little thing in "An American Rhapsody" is the charming performance by Kelly Endresz Banlaki as six-year-old Suzanne. The diminutive actress comes across as a real little girl who makes the best of being a stranger in a strange land. When, one day, she dresses in her Hungarian clothing and sets off to play, unknown to her parents, we see America through her innocent eyes.
Unfortunately, the story jumps ahead to teenage Suzanne (Scarlett Johansson), a selfish young woman who stays out all night, drinks and hangs out with her older boyfriend, much to Margit's despair. Johansson comes across more like a spoiled brat than a genuine young rebel. The tone of the film takes a down turn during this transition and the impact of Suzanne's revelations about life when she returns to Hungary is diminished. She sees her grandmother again and all of her teen angst and rejection of her mother is changed when she hears "the real story." It all wraps up neatly, but without much satisfaction.
The end of the Cold War opened up Eastern Europe to filmmakers and Gardos makes the best out of the lovely old city of Budapest. We get a travelogue presentation of the bridges and buildings that make up the city, but the nice scenery does not help the change in pace from the film's first half or draw you close to the older Suzanne. This part keeps the viewer at arm's length from characters and loses the involvement gained when watching the charismatic younger Suzanne.
The production has an artificial feel to it as the period touches - things like hula-hoops - are used to show the timeframes the film follows. I would have to watch again, but it seems that the attention to such details is less than accurate, bringing my mind to question the chronicle of events depicted.
"An American Rhapsody" is a heartfelt film and an obvious labor of love by Eva Gardos, but the story loses steam when it leaves little Suzanne's story, becoming a conventional coming of age tale, albeit one with Budapest as a backdrop. I give it a C.
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