Sunshine

Director: István Szabó
Year Released: 1999
Rating: 2.0

Epic that documents three generations in a Hungarian family (all three Hungarian fathers played by Ralph Fiennes) and how they overcome curses, tragedy and political uprising. Works to some extent for the first two hours - due to fine performances, making things easier to sit through - even though the tone is uneven; it shifts from melancholy/poetic voiceover readings to shouting matches in seconds. By the time the second hour is over you want it to end, but it doesn't, much to my serious dismay, and develops into yet another statement about politics and politicians being corrupt - hasn't this been done in countless other pictures? This movie is like The Red Violin ... but with Fiennes taking the place of the violin.