Music by Philip Sheppard Edited by Ben Stark
Kim Gaster | Cinematography Marton Vízkelety | |
Directed by Joseph Martin
Sam Blair Produced by Alex Holder
Danielle Clark
Nicole Stott Starring Csanád Szegedi
Anne Applebaum
András Dezső
Rabbi Boruch Oberlander
Katalin Molnár Szegediné
Imréné Molnár
Eva 'Bobby' Neumann | ||
Keep Quiet is a 2016 biographical documentary film about Hungarian politician Csanád Szegedi, who was known for his anti-Semitic comments and membership in the radical nationalist party Jobbik who later discovered he was Jewish. The British-made film includes interviews with Szegedi, his grandmother who was a former Auschwitz concentration camp survivor and archive footage.
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On 14 April 2016 the film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in the World Documentary Competition.
Synopsis
Csanád Szegedi was a former member the Hungarian radical nationalist party Jobbik, who regularly espoused anti-Semitic rhetoric. He was a founder of the Hungarian Guard, a now-banned paramilitary wing of the party. Then came a revelation which transformed his life: Szegedi's maternal grandparents were revealed to be Jewish and his beloved grandmother an Auschwitz survivor who had hidden her faith fearing further persecution.
The film depicts Szegedi's three year journey as he is guided by Rabbi Boruch Oberlander to embrace his newfound religion, forced to confront the painful truths of his family's past, his own wrong doing and the turbulent history of his country. But is this astonishing transformation a process of genuine reparation and spiritual awakening, or is he simply a desperate man with nowhere else to turn?
Reception
The film received positive reviews from critics. Frank Scheck from the Hollywood Reporter says 'be prepared to talk about it after' and called the film [An] amazing story... Should provoke strong controversy upon its theatrical release. It's fascinating throughout.” Daniel Walber from NonFics called the film '[a] powerful narrative of repentance'. Keep Quiet was featured in “The 10 Best Movies at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival” and by Time Out New York “If you want a controversial fest title, this is it.”Jewish Week commented “A superb piece of nonfiction filmmaking, telling a story of import with grace and intelligence.” Slant Magazine's review “The filmmakers astutely reveal how a culture can eat another alive and somehow live with itself.”