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  • Cherry Pickers Filmdistributie
  • 1 h 43 m
  • Cherry Pickers Filmdistributie
  • 1 h 43 m

Summary World War II, occupied Soviet Union. István Semetka is a simple Hungarian farmer who serves as a Caporal in a special unit scouting for partisan groups. On their way to a remote village, his company falls under enemy fire. As the commander is killed, Semetka has to overcome his fears and take command of the unit as he is dragged into a c...

Directed By: Dénes Nagy

Written By: Pál Závada, Dénes Nagy

  • Cherry Pickers Filmdistributie
  • 1 h 43 m
  • Cherry Pickers Filmdistributie
  • 1 h 43 m

Natural Light

Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 11 Critic Reviews
59
User Score User reviews are not available yet

Summary World War II, occupied Soviet Union. István Semetka is a simple Hungarian farmer who serves as a Caporal in a special unit scouting for partisan groups. On their way to a remote village, his company falls under enemy fire. As the commander is killed, Semetka has to overcome his fears and take command of the unit as he is dragged into a c...

Directed By: Dénes Nagy

Written By: Pál Závada, Dénes Nagy

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 11 Critic Reviews
59
45% Positive
5 Reviews
55% Mixed
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 11 Critic Reviews
59
45% Positive
5 Reviews
55% Mixed
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
90
Mar 5, 2021
Natural Light is a tough, slow film that makes demands on its audience – though much of the real horror is as just-off-screen for us as it is for Corporal Semetka. But it’s also an absorbing, beautifully crafted, thought-provoking addition to the new Hungarian cinematic wave.
By Lee Marshall FULL REVIEW
80
Nov 9, 2021
This is a world of brutality and fear from which the movie averts its gaze at key moments, but the chill is unmistakable. The title appears to refer to a light which is inexorably fading.
By Peter Bradshaw FULL REVIEW
75
Mar 16, 2021
For a film that so often trades in claustrophobic close-ups, some of the strongest compositions in Natural Light are its grander landscape shots, making a sinister beast of Hungary’s jagged treelines.
By Jack King FULL REVIEW
60
Nov 14, 2021
In theory, natural light is more forgiving than its artificial counterpart: in photographs, it makes the subject look less harsh. Less so here.
By Simran Hans FULL REVIEW
50
Mar 5, 2021
The finale is telegraphed far in advance, yet when it comes the drama is so down-played it doesn’t register in its full horror.
By Deborah Young FULL REVIEW
40
Nov 22, 2021
This low-on-dialogue, low-on-action, high-on-atmosphere feat is deeply cinematic, yet begs the questions: is there anything new to be said about World War Two, and is Nagy’s effort enough to stand out in this terribly overcrowded genre? The answer, alas, is no.
By Marina Ashioti FULL REVIEW
40
Mar 5, 2021
Audiences amenable to cold, meticulous shots where people are accorded the same attributes as a landscape will find elements to admire, and certainly on a cerebral level there’s much to appreciate, yet Natural Light sheds no warmth and offers no insight into the horrors of the human condition during wartime.
By Jay Weissberg FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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User reviews are not available for this movie yet.

Details

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Production Company Campfilm, Mistrus Media, Lilith Films, Propeller Film, Proton Cinema, VisionTeam, ZDF/Arte, Novak Production, Hungarian National Digital Archive & Film Institute, Hungarian Film Incentives, Eurimages, Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC), National Film Centre of Latvia, Riga City Council, MEDIA Programme of the European Union
Duration 1 h 43 m
Genres
Website http://campfilm.eu/films/natural-light/
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Awards

Berlin International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Zsigmond Vilmos Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Vilnius International Film Festival
• 2 Nominations

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