The Piano Player

This stunningly glamorous film brings new meaning to a ‘menage a trois’ set in the early 1930s when Budapest was still a city enjoying decadent times. The story revolves around a beautiful woman, two men and a haunting song that casts a treacherous spell. In the fashionable Restaurant Szabo, the pianist plays the haunting melody of Gloomy Sunday and the elite of Hungarian society come to dine. Illona looks after the guests and her beauty catches the attention of Hans, a young German man who proposes marriage to her. Illona rejects his proposal but when Hungary is invaded by German a few years later Hans returns as an officer of the SS with the power to destroy the fragile balance of her life.

Winner - German Screenplay Awards 2000 Best Director and Cinematographer - Bavarian Film Awards 2000 Gold Award - Guild of German Art House Cinema 2000