The Man from London

The Brief

During a night shift at the harbor, railway worker Maloin witnesses a mysterious incident and ends up with a suitcase full of money. In The Man from London, Béla Tarr takes two new turns. The language is no longer his own, but primarily French with elements of English. The literary source, which likely influenced this choice, is not his longtime collaborator László Krasznahorkai, but instead a crime novel by Georges Simenon (though Krasznahorkai still contributed to the screenplay). With this foundation, the film adopts more of an external narrative framework than what we typically expect from Tarr. Yet there is no doubt who the filmmaker is - the story becomes merely a detail, a catalyst for the characters’ reactions. The intensity of emotional expression, the complex camera movements, and the icy atmosphere that permeates the entire film all point to a master at the height of his craft.