Liza, the Fox-Fairy (2015)

While not an entirely wasted opportunity, Liza the Fox-Fairy doesn't generate much laughs, and its half-witted premise is thrown at the audience so carelessly that title character's hardships at the hands of a vengeful Japanese pop star ghost fail to make anyone care too much what happens next.Most of the runtime is spent on going through all the people that need to die to push Liza over the edge, which understandably gets quite repetitive. Neither the deaths or the characters show any screen writing genius.The execution itself is well-thought and careful, and the team behind the production seems to have felt all the way they are making a wonderful movie. It always lifts a bad movie when one sees people trying hard, even if they don't really succeed.

I know, the plot sounds really good. A 30 years-old woman searching for her true love is cursed, so that all of her pretenders die unexpectedly. It's gotta be a mystery, a thriller, what can go wrong? Well, if you are used to what Hollywood calls a Sci-fi, this is probably not for you. First of all, for some reason, this movie makes too many characters look like they are socially dumb. It's got too much silence in a bad way, I mean not that type of silence you would enjoy, the boring one. Secondly, it's not realistic. I know, it's supposed to be a fiction, but the viewers should still find a convincing plot. You might think it's a fairy-tale, but again, it's not quite there. It feels like this movie can not define itself. I'm not going to say more, don't want to spoil it. Lastly, the curse- breaking is not sensational. It feels like the writers had no good idea about how the story should end so they threw in some nice effects and everybody is happy. Nope, not really. The only funny thing about it were the older cops (again, not telling you more so it won't become a spoiler), but again, you were not supposed to have a funny moment as a highlight for this movie. Trying too much, not getting anywhere. But don't simply believe me, go check it out.

All in all, a movie can be enjoyed or not. There are definitely good ones, definitely bad ones, and there's middle ground. Liza the Fox-Fairy is middle ground. I'd say it's exactly on the boundary, but it's a little bit on the bad side. I found it very boring and dull, despite its technical perks.The idea of an alternative Hungary in the 1970s presents an interesting idea itself, but it's not taking the movie all the way. The characters are decent, and so are the artists portraying them. Gábor Reviczky as the police chief is however just as dull as the movie itself. The plot has a lot to offer, but fails to deliver. There are very good elements and moments in this movie, but it never becomes a whole. It also fails to deliver the usual playfulness of Hungarian movies, the feeling of "a little bit yellow, a little bit sour, but still ours". It's a movie from East Europe not for East Europeans, but too East European for the rest of the word.I seriously don't understand the hype about this one. I could not enjoy it. There is no deeper meaning, nothing under a thin (or not so thin) layer of cultural snobbism. Tension is nonexistent, there is no reason to wait for the next scene. It all goes nowhere.At the end of the day, I am sorry for every minute I spent with this movie. It is exactly like a Mekk Burger with a plastic clown. Also, the outcome is very obvious when the Sergeant enters the plot. (Who is actually an Ensign in the Hungarian original - the English subtitle is very poor.)

Liza, the Fox-fairy is one of the most pleasant surprises I ever had watching a Hungarian movie. The cinematography and scenery were beautiful, the actors did an excellent job. The idea of adding Japanese pop culture and mythology to a fictional capitalistic 70's Hungarian scenery might seem a little far fetched at first, but it really works well. The story was captivating. Most reviewers mention Jean-Pierre Jeunet's 'Amélie' and Wes Anderson's movies as probable inspirations. I have to agree, but these influences are not explicit at all, they stay on a vibe level. Also I have to add, it's way darker than those movies and that it has more of a 'Delicatessen' mood, (also) a Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro movie. Anyway, if you like weird love stories with dark twists and dark humor you should definitely give this movie a chance.