Bela Kiss: Prologue
Dir: Lucien Förstner
Starring: Kristina Klebe and Rudolf Martin
There is an element of style that takes over Lucien Förstner’s
“Bela Kiss: Prologue”, the assumed first film of a continuing story based on
the myth behind the titled Hungarian serial killer. While the special effects
consume the atmosphere during a portion of the narrative, there is also some
really good photography and editing that makes the German production feel
larger than it actual is. Förstner unfortunately extends the film,
hurting the pacing of the slow churning serial killer tale, to an overlong 106
minutes. The pacing issue along with a mediocre script keeps “Bela Kiss” from
exceeding expectations.
The film begins with a composed stock footage summary of the
investigation into the crimes of serial killer Bela Kiss. The film quickly
transitions into a diverging story about a group of bank robbers retreating to
a hotel deep in the woods. While waiting for further orders from an unseen
boss, the group partakes in the amenities of hotel run by the shadowy Ms.
Jakubec (Julia Horvath). Julia (Kristina Klebe) is suspicious of Ms. Jakubec
and her robbery team, one of which is her boyfriend. Julia’s misgivings
unknowingly lead her to the discovery of secrets from the past.
There is a nice introduction with this film, one that
establishes the folklore of Bela Kiss in a mysterious and somewhat supernatural
manner. The film is split from this point on, mixing in the past evolution of
Bela Kiss amidst the current account of the five bank robbers and their
relationship with each other and the hotel they are staying in. These two
atmospheres are portrayed with different techniques, in particular the events of
the past which are composed with a heavy amount of CGI altercations and the
events of the present which have a hazy over forced gothic touch. The photography
is good and adds a strange perspective by making the hotel feel like a
claustrophobic maze.
Unfortunately, the main problem with “Bela Kiss” exists with
the storytelling, which is slow and not particularly inventive. The characters
and their robbery situation are composed with a secretive attribute that is
easily figured out. The character of Bela Kiss is forwarded through time in a
method that undermines the story and feels like a setup for future films. These character issues aren’t helped by the
length and pacing of the film, which is inconsistent and lingering, but could
be attributed to the largely German cast performing solely in English. Though
amidst the problems is a familiar horror subgenre about a character that hasn’t
been explored. The director should be accommodated for attempting to tell this
film so ambitiously.
While “Bela Kiss: Prologue”
may not subvert the serial killer genre, there are glimpses of an interesting
story underneath some distracting elements. The story of the homicidal
Hungarian may continue, as the title suggests, which means there is always the
hope that the sequel will be better than the first.
Monte’s Rating
2.00
out of 5.00
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