7 hours. That a film could last this long says something in itself, irregardless of the content. Why make a film this long? It defies common sense. It defies the cinemas. It defies consumerism. It defies Hollywood. But does it defy an audience?

Béla Tarr is easily one of the most important filmmakers in the world today, and Sátántango is one of his most challenging works. The story itself is ambiguous. On one hand, it involves the demise of Communism. On the other, the arrival of a stranger offering – so the people believe – the promise of salvation. But this is no allegory. If you have seen any of Tarr’s other film’s, for instance Werckmeister Harmonies (2000) shown as part of Trauma’s Long Take season, you’ll know to expect immaculate cinematography, beautiful compositions, intriguing dialogue and fascinating characters. You’ll also know to expect a restrained montage and fluid camera movements. With Sátántango you get all this and more… for 7 hours…

7 hours. Too long? This is relatively short compared with Zhang Sichuan’s The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple running 27 hours in total (it was released in 18 feature-length parts between 1928 and 1931). Or The Cure for Insomnia, directed by John Henry Timmis IV, running at 87 hours (this film consists of artist L. D. Groban reading his lengthy poem "A Cure for Insomnia" over the course of three and a half days, spliced with occasional clips from heavy metal and pornographic videos). Indeed, in the list of the worlds longest films, Sátántango is 18th… (see the others here). No doubt, this will not be the last all-day-Trauma…