The Hungarian Dressmaker

The Hungarian Dressmaker
Festival poster
Directed by	Iveta Grófová
Story by	Peter Krištúfek Iveta Grófová
Produced by	Zuzana Mistríková Ondřej Trojan
Starring	Alexandra Borbély Nico Klimek Milan Ondrík
Edited by	Martin Malo
Release date	26 September 2024 (2024-09-26)
Running time	129 minutes
Countries	Slovakia, Czechia
Languages	German, Hungarian, Slovak

The Hungarian Dressmaker (Slovak: Ema a smrtihlav) is a Slovak and Czech 2024 coproduction drama movie directed by Iveta Grófová. The World War II-era movie tells a story of the Hungarian widow Marika, who hides a Jewish boy from a fascist milita in her house nearby Bratislava. The story is an adaptation of an eponymous novel by Peter Krištúfek. The movie was the Slovak submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for the 97th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.

Plot

Slovak Republic, 1940. The shadow of World War II looms large, and the newly established Slovak state embraces a nationalist ideology that targets minorities. With the expulsion of Czechs complete, the regime sets its sights on the Jewish population, commencing their deportation. Amidst this turmoil, Marika, a Hungarian widow living in a small village, faces the repercussions of this escalating persecution. Having lost her job in Bratislava due to her ethnicity, she now finds her village overrun by the Hlinka Guard, whose mission is to assert Slovak dominance.

Marika's situation becomes even more precarious as she secretly shelters a young Jewish boy. Striving to avoid detection, she nevertheless attracts the unwanted attention of two powerful figures: a Slovak Hlinka Guard captain and a German Nazi officer. Caught between their competing interests, Marika must rely on her wits and courage to safeguard the boy and survive in an increasingly dangerous world.

Cast

• Alexandra Borbély
• Milan Ondrík
• Nico Klimek
• Alexander E. Fennon
• Dénes Újlaky
• Florentín Groll
• Éva Bandor
• Ján Mistrík
• László Mátray
• Lili Monori