The Boy Changed Into a Stag

The film was inspired by Ferenc Juhász’s poem and its adaptation by the Illyés Gyula Hungarian National Theatre of Beregszász. The poet wrote his poem in the ’50s: „This poem is first and foremost a statement, but also a body of wishes. It expresses confinement and longing, embodying a cathedral built of love, whose tower cannot be seen from below.”
Attila Vidnyánszky’s stage adaptation of the poem at Beregszász was a great success in 2003. Mari Törőcsik and Zsolt Trill’s performance and the unique gravity of the company’s playing style made the production one of the most enduring pieces of contemporary theatre history. This film, however, is not a recorded version of the theatre performance, but a re-visualisation of the theme on screen, starring Mari Törőcsik, Zsolt Trill and the company of Beregszász.