Dealer (2004) Reviews

• Claustrophobic story of a drug dealer and his clients

  rasecz2006-11-26

  A day in the life of a drug dealer. We stay with the young man from the moment he wakes up until the next morning. The story is constructed principally around episodes, each dealing with a client or a visit to a friend or family member. Chronological order is followed without flashbacks. A couple of the episodes become interlocked threads that provide the core of the dramatic tension. The episodes run over a wide gamut of situations. From the darkly comic to the heart wrenching. Location is some undefined large city. The urban landscape is modern and sterile, eerily devoid of people and crowds. The state apparatus and its authorities nowhere to be seen and only implied from dialogue. The film traffics only in the dealer, the junkies that he supplies, and a few friends and relatives. The issue of drug addiction, primarily heroin, is dealt in a level-headed fashion, almost matter-of-fact. Nonetheless, the burden of addiction on the individual, friends and relatives is not hidden. The primary technique used throughout is circular tracking. The camera circles around characters, often a few times in a single take. Combined with a heavy use of close-ups, the overall experience is claustrophobic. The siege of the camera on the characters enhances the feeling they are prisoners of their unfortunate conditions. The visual texture is that of a noir, though the dominant hue is blue, dark blue. Reds and greens are rarely seen. This color choice overlaid on a modernistic architecture and a spartan decor give the story a futuristic feel, a sort of post-industrial dysfunctional society where seeing a person smash a car's windshield on the highway or the presence of a dead man's body on a bridge with no police in sight does not seem to raise much of an eyebrow from passersby. All of this is enveloped by a deep echo chamber meditative music. The events of the day keep piling up into a general sense of pointlessness. There is no promise of anything better for next day's aurora, only another cycle of the same. The only escape for the dealer is a closure of a kind.

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• Shades of Tarkovsky

  zoelat2004-08-09

  During the 1980's, no director fascinated me and often frustrated me more than Tarkovsky, the Russian who added a new dimension to the viewing requirements of an audience. His wonderful "Solaris", his incredibly slow and drawn-out "Stalker", his magnificent "Andrei Rublev" and his demanding and enigmatic "Sacrifice" were all noteworthy in that no-one who saw any of them could, I believe, ever forget them, as the viewer grappled, for years to come, on what Tarkovsky had sought and/or achieved. With "Dealer", we have the movie which has probably the best soundtrack I have encountered. The purr of a cat fills the theatre with stereo magnificence and a "whistling wind" sounds backgrounds almost every minute of the movie. It never dominates the story, but it enhances the slow deliberation on the ever-swirling camera, which advances and retreats on the actor and which is a marvelous call for intense concentration by the viewer. An audience who was not prepared to concentrate would probably call "Dealer" too slow or ponderous; absolutely not!: it shows the true poetry of cinema which is all too rarely encountered. Full marks to the director and the actors for creating what I consider one of the best movies I have seen in years...and I see a huge number of movies.

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• THE dealer

  filipko_nemeth2005-03-02

  This film really is pretty slow, but the atmosphere is so strong and depressive, that it simply can't be boring. I enjoyed every second of the movie and I really love the slow camera movement and the concrete, although not naturalistic dialogues. In this things nothing is showed as we can see it in the real life, but at the same time, everything in this film is completely true. The things work, and they are seen from a completely different point of view as in other drug-films. This film really shows a prototype of a new dealer. We can't talk about characters, they are prototypes, but they are made perfectly. The mood of the film is fascinating, meditating and exciting. Those bizarre sounds... I mean, in this film, everything is in it's right place, I've never seen another so clear and original film, with a complex view of a problem. This is why I love this movie.

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• Dark brilliance like the Mass Onyx that brought this curse to our cultures.

  thelastpict11072013-06-20

  This has to be one of the finest films I have ever seen. Not the Hollywood propaganda regurgitated kosher crap, but a dark expose of a subject long overdue for some sunlight. But be warned though, this film doesn't put bangles and lipstick on a monkey and call her Sally; its an artists and philosophers film about a tragic aspect of modern society our psychopathic leaders profit from while playing dumb. It is definitely not for the shallow thinkers, or someone seeking light entertainment. To anyone who has walked in the shoes this film portrays, either via a family member or personally, the genius of this film will be readily apparent and chill you to the bone. The actors, mainly 1st timers were all superb. Shot in Buda and Pest, Hungary should be proud of this one. It is a very sadly magnificent film.

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• Promising

  ccscd2122004-09-21

  I'm not terribly familiar with contemporary Hungarian cinema, but from what I gather Dealer appears to be the work of one of its most promising figures. Cinematography, rhythm (to some extent), nuances, symbolism; Fliegauf seems to have a grasp of all of these. Dealer isn't a masterpiece in my mind, though. The acting is far from impeccable at parts. For example, when the dealer's female friend is talking to her boyfriend on the phone, you don't even get the impression that someone else is on the other line. You sense that the actor is more concerned with her English than playing her part. And even though the dealer's emasculate voice reflects a person not much less fragile than those he provides drugs to, I'm still not sure if the actor possesses all the brooding characteristics required for the role. The parts with his father and supposed child work to a tee, however. As for the film being too long or too slow, I disagree. Still, a few more rhythmic change-ups would've been welcome. The dialogue reminded me a bit of Kaurismäki with its subtle humor and focus on only what's essential. The Tarkovski comparisons aren't far-fetched, either; with the ending striking up images of Solaris. Another Tarkovski-like trait the director has is his willingness to let things take their time. These precious moments when "nothing happens" allow the viewer to reflect on what he's seen and what's yet to come. The ambiance, the colors, the streets of the city the dealer travels by bike, and the way the director explores his theme, all of these assure that Dealer will stay with me for a while. Extra points for the song that closes the film.

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