Satantango
A seven-hour black-and-white descent into rain-soaked village stagnation, where hope, greed, and charismatic manipulation keep a fractured Hungarian community trapped.
Overview
In a small village, the arrival of a long-lost figure stirs tension and greed among the residents.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Glacial
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Mild
- bleak
- oppressive
- melancholic
- focused arthouse viewing
- rainy day
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Béla Tarr's direction, radical long takes, atmosphere, and sustained emotional power as major achievements of art-house cinema.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Béla Tarr constructs the seven-hour film through prolonged, carefully choreographed shots of villagers walking, waiting, drinking, and enduring rain.
The dilapidated Hungarian village is repeatedly engulfed by autumn rain, mud, fog, and barren rural space.
The film follows Irimiás, Petrina, Futaki, Estike, Schmidt, and other villagers in interlocking sections that revisit events from differing positions.
The villagers await a cash payment and imagine escape while fearing Irimiás's return and his grandiose schemes to control their future.
Films like Satantango, and why
The Turin Horse
shared slow cinema, bleak rural isolation, long takes, and existential despair
The White Ribbon
shared austere black-and-white imagery, social disintegration, and oppressive atmosphere
Stalker
shared contemplative pacing, spiritual desolation, and formally rigorous art-house filmmaking
Werckmeister Harmonies
shared Hungarian art cinema, alienated communities, and bleak post-socialist landscapes
Movie Details
- Director
- Béla Tarr
- Release Date
- 1994-04-28
- Runtime
- 432 min
- Rating
- 8.0 / 10 (326)
Cast
- Mihály Víg
- Putyi Horváth
- Székely B. Miklós
- Erika Bók
- László feLugossy
- Alfréd Járai
- János Derzsi
- Irén Szajki
- Éva Almássy Albert
- Erzsébet Gaál
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Eternal Family
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Satantango about?
- A seven-hour black-and-white descent into rain-soaked village stagnation, where hope, greed, and charismatic manipulation keep a fractured Hungarian community trapped.
- What is Satantango like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Satantango as glacial, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as dense.
- Is Satantango violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Satantango as mild.
- What did critics think of Satantango?
- Critics broadly regard Béla Tarr's direction, radical long takes, atmosphere, and sustained emotional power as major achievements of art-house cinema.
- Which films are like Satantango?
- Films with a similar feel include The Turin Horse, The White Ribbon, Stalker, and Werckmeister Harmonies.
- How long is Satantango?
- Satantango runs 432 minutes.
- Where can I watch Satantango?
- In United States, Satantango streams on Eternal Family.
