Some people seem not to have liked this film. After seeing it myself I read a strange half-sentence by a renowned film critic, writing for an even more renowned international newspaper (I will not give away the name of the person in question, for his own benefit!),declaring that "Just the Wind" was accompanied by an unbearable sluggishness and confusion.

Such apparent misjudgment made me speechless at first, but then I simply recalled my own viewing experience. Although very far away from the screen, sitting just below the roof of the sumptuous Berlinale-Palast, there was never a second in which I was not absorbed by the action of the movie, feeling actually very close to the characters and by no means indifferent or confused. After the screening was over I remember walking through the streets without a purpose, just lost in thoughts and overpowered by a feeling of extreme sorrow for the fate of the protagonists and sheer helplessness against the ugly faces of racism.

"Csak a szél" is a very quiet drama that slowly turns into a shout. In a little Hungarian village the last day in the life of a small Romani family is shown, a family that only consists of the mother, her two children and the grandfather, because the head of the family has already emigrated to Canada, a place to which the others will follow as soon as they have raised the money. They all try to live a fairly normal and discrete life, at least the mother who is working as a cleaner in two different job places, and the girl who is conscientious about the necessity of attending school, whereas her younger brother is playing truant and prefers to play video games in the house of a neighborhood family or simply to roam about in the forest.

The film was inspired by an authentic case of racist attacks in Hungary which took place a few years ago and in which eight people lost their lives in less than a year. But it tells a fictitious story in which the artist decides to concentrate on the chronological events, however unimportant they may seem, of an entire day, from dawn to dusk. Soon we learn that a neighbor family has been killed, without apparent motive, just for racist reasons. The authors of the crime have not been found, and the police is not much of a help either. On the contrary, in the one scene where police agents are present, we witness that at least one of them is a racist himself. It is therefore not surprising that the whole place is dominated by a pogrom-like atmosphere manifesting itself by ugly little incidents, such as when a bus driver obliges a Romani member to run a few extra metres because he did not stop the bus at the exact spot where she was waiting.

However, there is but a quiet rebellion against these visible signs of discrimination. It may be a climate of lingering fear that impedes action. For example, when a girl is raped on the school toilet, Anna, the Romani girl, will do nothing but silently steal away without denouncing anybody. Has she been raped too? When a little later her father asks her in a video internet conversation whether she is pregnant, she leaves the question unanswered and can only speak about the fear that has invaded her.

In another key scene a suspicious looking black car is slowly following Rio, the boy. Rio halts and tries to hide behind some bushes unable to do anything else. His violent reaction comes out a little later when he is in the deep forest, running alone, cutting himself an aisle through the undergrowth. It seems to be something like a shout of despair, an outcry against the overwhelming menace, which sadly can only be heard by the film audience.

As in Bence Fliegauf's previous film "Womb" nature symbolism plays an important role. But instead of the boundless sea we find here the forest as an area of limitation for the human spirit of which to break free seems to be an almost impossible task. And nobody on this planet should claim that he does not consider himself concerned. Speaking of Germany, there is a recent series of neo-Nazi attacks against Turkish citizens whose swift clearing up was apparently impeded because of sheer negligence of the authorities so that Chancellor Angela Merkel had to publicly apologize.

But then, of course, there is also the wind. When the family members are huddling against each other in bed, at the end of the day and some noise is heard outside, the mother tries to comfort them by saying that it is "just the wind". And me in my cinema seat have got the strange thought that if the film ended just now, everything would be just fine. But the world is not like that, not even in the twenty-first century, in which the wind of racism is still around, arbitrary and blind, destroying the good nature of life and all the ambitious dreams that go with it.

It's difficult to rate such a film objectively because it deals with an ongoing social issue that brings a rather bitter taste to the viewers. On the other hand, my opinion is that even the bitter taste is better than no taste at all - as it's often the case with the Hollywood type of films. In addition to that, I would recommend this film to all those who are fond of European cinema and who like to to feel something deeper while watching. If you're in search of a film that would merely entertain you, then "Just the Wind" might not be the best solution.

The thing I liked best in the film was the atmosphere. From the very beginning to the end, I constantly felt as if I was near the main characters - sensing their steps in the fields, their paths through the forest, their thoughts while being quiet, the uncomfortable fears of what might happen next. Although the film atmosphere is mostly awkward and unpleasant, it makes you feel as if you were in the Roma family's shoes. It seems more realistic than artistic, but also makes you think afterwards!

I also have to refer to another review on this site: I don't think anybody would gain a negative image about Hungary just because of watching this film. Every country has its crimes and its dark side, and let's not forget this is a Hungarian film after all. It's courageous to shoot a film about the issue that still isn't solved in a society.

Instead of portraying the Roma as a group, which would probably bring up a broader debate to the plot, the director focused on 3 individuals, making you sense their humanity. I believe this is the strongest and the most realistic message he could include. Direct political comments are left out, there are many silent parts of the film, which leaves every conclusion up to the audience.

Benedek Fliegauf's "Just the Wind" has divided its audience to lovers and haters. Some accuse the film for demagogy or creating black and white illusions while others praise the director's style and social sensibility. In all its simplicity, "Just the Wind" tells what happens to a Romani family during one ordinary day: the mother works as a cleaner in two shift works, her daughter gets bored at school bench, and her son skips school, building a safe house in the woods. The only way out seems to be the father of the family who already lives in Canada. The children are anxiously waiting for them to move, although there is really no reason to believe why things would be any better on the other side of the globe.

The film begins with morning sunlight sparkling through treetops into dim space. In fact, images of dawn, fields, woods, water and dusk do reign the visual world of the film. To my mind, it is astonishing how Fliegauf has managed to make everyday realism so utterly beautiful. There is even something neo-realist in the camera-work. But as the film dazzles with its aesthetics it also horrifies with its content.

The gloomy, dark-themed mood of "Just the Wind" isn't, however, merely due to the shadow cast on the remote village by racist murders but also a consequence of efficient sound design and long takes that are framed in a distressingly narrow fashion. With his documentary-like approach Fliegauf not only highlights the authenticity of the milieu (each scene takes place in natural setting and lighting) but also the fact that this has actually happened. In addition, the film manages to create such a tension which keeps in its grip and coerces the viewer into identifying with the bleak reality portrayed. The viewer must identify with the characters and experience, for an hour and a half, what they go through every single day. This mood which exhales misery is, at times, quite hard to bear but fortunately broken down every once in a while by lyric landscape shots which are both serene and soothing.

In the cinematographic depiction, created by hand-held camera and deliberately improvised composition, nature plays an integral role. It's an active part of the drama, and especially the colors of green and yellow are continuously recorded to the spectator's consciousness. As an essential element in the film's aesthetics, nature is, however, counterpointed with architecture of degradation which enhances the emotion of the beginning of an end. People live in shattered ruins where grown-ups are practically living dead. Trash, rotten food, cast-off objects and flat coffee infiltrate through the screen to the sense organs of the viewer. In "Just the Wind" only the children are capable of brief moments of joy in this stark environment but, at the same, adult-like responsibility is constantly required.

Noteworthy is also that Fliegauf doesn't idealize the Romani people, not to the least extent. This is not a one-sided portrayal. Fliegauf depicts a certain regression of alienation -- the final stage of exclusion where people have been divided into friends and foes. After this, guns talk. In a detailed manner, the film shows how the society has itself created such conditions and furthers the worsening situation with its disregard action. Hence, the darkness of the film is directly due to social reality and the circumstances emerging from it. The film doesn't answer nor preach. It only agitates and shows. The film asks why. As ominous elements culminate, the film begins to show its true deterministic nature: how the dark-themed drama inevitably leads to an uncompromising disaster.