Sunshine

Director: István Szabó
Year: 1999
Country: Hungary
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Ralph Fiennes, Ralph Fiennes, Rosemary Harris, Rachel Weisz, Jennifer Ehle, Mark Strong
Rating: ***1/2 (out of ****)

We, Indians, have seen our loved ones suffer in partition. It was a cruel culmination of Indian freedom struggle. Jews, on the other hand, have seen such cruelty many times over, in different parts of the world, at different times. Anti-semitism is a harsh lesson history has taught the world and has affected millions of people.

Sunshine is lots of passion, lots of history, lots of characters and lots of reel time. A film that runs just four minutes shy of three hours and chronicles three generations of a Hungarian Jewish family, the Sonnenscheins (later Sors).

I have to tell something about the actor who is so vital to the film. He's there for almost the entire length. Ralph Fiennes is a sincere actor. Sincere, that's the word. It seems to me that you give him anything and he'll pull it with utmost sincerity. His eyes will tell you that.

It reminded me of The Godfather as this too is all about family and also of Scorsese's marvellous The Age of Innocence in terms of the mood of the film. There are many twists regarding love and relationship. The film is grandly made. But the director seems interested in telling the story of the Sonnenscheins rather than focusing on the characters at hand. The problem of the film is that it is too ambitious. It tries to do so many things and never dwells on one character. It still does all this with great honesty. It's like a child chasing something he deeply feels for. He runs through a narrow lane with all his power and stamina ,we see it ending there and then there's another tiny lane and he chases on. It's a tiring but rewarding saga. István Szabó has made with great love and care. So much so that sometimes it feels autobiographical work of his. As I watched this motion picture late night, I felt a deep connections for the Sonnenschein or the Sors. Ignatz, Valerie, Greta, Adam, Ivan, Hannah, Gustave, even Kato. I wish they had freedom. I'll watch it again whenever I miss them.

As Ivan observes, "Nothing will surprise you in this family."

A fascinating film.