Fresh and Exciting

Expected more

A Masterpiece!

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

White Palms, (Fehér Tenyér) Hungary, 2006. Viewed in Budapest at the annual Magyar Film Week, (Magyar Film Szemle) February, 2006.Having suffered as a boy under a brutal Communist-era coach, champion Hungarian gymnast Miklos moves to Canada years later in search of a new start - only to find himself unwittingly perpetuating the very same cycle of abuse among his own pupils. "White Palms" helmed by Szabolc HAJDU is possibly the only feature film ever made whose central subject is the specialized athletic domain of Gymnastics. It follows the life of a talented young gymnast in the city of Debrecen who rebels against his sadistic coach in Communist Hungary, runs off to a Russian circus where he suffers a very bad injury, emigrates to Canada where he himself becomes a leading gymnastics coach, then, years later, returns to Debrecen for one last shot as a performer in international competition, whereupon, having proved his mettle once and for all against his arch Canadian rival– goes back and joins a famous Canadian circus! — (Le Cirque du Soleil). The gymnastics scenes, which take up a goodly portion of the total screen time, are especially realistic as both the director and his brother Zoltan Miklos Hajdu, who plays the hero, Dongo, at maturity, are highly trained gymnasts! Nothing like making a picture about an occupation you know something about… The title refers to the chalk gymnasts dust their palms with when approaching the high bar to get a better grip. The gyrations on the bars are breathtaking but what really gives this film its unusual punch is the parallel study of the art and mentality of the career gymnast woven into a strong critique of the Communust system that paralyzed Hungary for four decades. Fascinating film, one of a kind. The festival closer "Taxidermia" a study in the gymnastics of regurgitation made enough people in Hungary puke this year to convince the critics that it was the "Best Film of the Year" – different shucks for different folks. All things considered, however, 2006 was not a bad year at all for the steadily reviving Hungarian cinema and White Palms is one if the best of the new breed.

Hungarian director Szabolcs Tajdu's new film White Palms has its moments of excellence in a fairly uninteresting account of the life and career of a national gymnast named Miklos Dongo. Dongo is trained under a brutal and authoritative coach when he was very young. His life is changed when he suffers a serious non-sport related injury. He signs up to be a coach many years later and is forced to train Kyle Manjak, a young Canadian gymnast whose talent is immense but is lacking in discipline. Should he lash out on his student with the same brutality shown by his coach? Or should he stick to a softer approach? In the end, he decides to set an example by training rigorously together with Kyle and qualify themselves for the World Gymnastics Competition.Tajdu presents White Palms as two narrative threads of different timelines with the central focus on the character of Dongo. The present thread shows Dongo and Kyle together as coach and trainee respectively, and as opponents in competition. The 'flashback' thread shows the anguish and misery suffered by Dongo when he was under his diabolical coach. Both threads run back-and-forth with each other and it is difficult to see what the director wants to achieve. Only crossing the hour mark does White Palms become thematically clearer. The two threads eventually converge into a rousing climax of slow-motion, balletic images that suggest the fickle psychological state of Dongo, whose past comes back to haunt him.White Palms concludes in an inferential manner that is slightly odd. More questions will be asked than answers given out by the time the end credits roll. It tries to explain the psyche of Dongo by further revealing his character's actions. Some may see it as a proper closure for the film's lead character, but it is done half-heartedly that it loses most of its impact. White Palms is not quite consistent in terms of entertainment; it is sometimes resonant, sometimes a yawn. Yet it emphasizes rather successfully the importance of bonding in our lives and the courage to defend our dignity whenever threatened.SCORE: 7/10 (www.filmnomenon.blogspot.com) All rights reserved!

A really good film but one of the saddest films I've seen in a long time. Although the film was was released in 2006 I only saw it on Australian TV in August 2008. It was shown very late at night with a warning beforehand of child abuse which nearly put me off watching it. If this is not a true life story, I would guess that it must be based on one as it is so very credible. The choice of athletes and actors was good and the role of the coach who trained the young gymnasts was played menacingly well. What a horrible character and unfortunately there may be more than one of those in the real world. The parents were disgusting - I'd run away from home if they were mine. After all his misadventures, I hope that Miklós enjoyed his time with Cirque De Soleil in Las Vegas because by then, in my opinion, after all the hardships he endured he deserved to be treated as a very unique person.

The white palm is a catching movie about an athlete trying to face his talent, the environment and the faults he commits. You do not have to be a sport- lover to like this movie, it is about more: about life. The only way to face your faults is to jump for the next challenge and try it again. The main figure is a Hungarian sporter, who from his childhood trains to become an athlete. We can see the way how he formed to the personality he is: the cruel trainings from childhood, the family-background, and the whole environment, a socialistic world. The story goes in different time-zones: side by side we can follow the child Dongó and his challenges, as well as the young man Dongó in Canada, training the new generation and than trying again his luck. The beginning of the movie is a bit slow, but it gets faster and it just catches you already in the middle of the movie and does not let you relax until the end. This is also interesting, as is based on a true story, the athlete plays himself in the movie. I really liked it, so I suggest you to watch it. :)