Natural Light

2021 [HUNGARIAN]

Drama / History / War

7
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 68% · 25 reviews
IMDb Rating 5.9/10 10 1477 1.5K

Plot summary

World War II, occupied Soviet Union. István Semetka is a simple Hungarian farmer who serves as a Sub-Lieutenant in a special unit scouting for partisan groups. On their way to a remote village, his company falls under enemy fire. As the commander is killed, Semetka has to overcome his fears and take command of the unit as he is dragged into a chaos that he cannot control.

Director

Dénes Nagy Photo
Dénes Nagy

Top cast

Ferenc Szabó Photo
Ferenc Szabó as Semetka
László Bajkó Photo
László Bajkó as Koleszár
Tamás Garbacz Photo
Tamás Garbacz as Szrnka
Gyula Franczia Photo
Gyula Franczia as Major
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
947.94 MB
1280*536
Hungarian 2.0
NR
Subtitles hu  
24 fps
1 hr 43 min
Seeds 1
1.9 GB
1920*804
Hungarian 5.1
NR
Subtitles hu  
24 fps
1 hr 43 min
Seeds 8

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Erik_Surewaard 7 / 10

One of the extremely rare movies that depicts the inhumane fight between German troops and the Partisans during WW2.

The international title for this movie is "Natural Light". The story takes place in the area of Saltanovka, Belarus. Coincidentally, this area is already famous for an important battle that took place in 1812, i.e. The french invasion of Russia. This movie however is about a hungarian corporal, which serves in the German troops during WW2. I actually think that these troops may have been part of the SS, whereby it was their main task to keep control of the areas after they where conquered by the german army. Itbis actually a difficult "war" against the remaining resistance - i.e. Partisans - whom hide in the woods in the eastern countries of the Nazi controlled area.I think that this movie very well portrays what war in these occupied woods - against the Partisans - is about. Due to the mud, swamps and (oftentimes) rain, it is very slowgoing, whereby trust, food and water are main items. It also causes normal human behavior to slowly slip away, making place for a need for survival combined with evilness. This whereby even women and children are not spared from getting hurt. Through the eyes of the corporal, we will get a small impression of what it may have been like.Due to this movie wanting to portray this type of warfare as close as possible, this results in a very slowgoing story. This whereby long periods of "basic survival" alternate short periods of intense action when contact is made with the Partisans. So please be warned that this movie is not the typical movie filled with lots of talking and events. Instead, the amount of talking is minimal. Actually, it is more about human deeds, in an area where "laws" are determined by the people themselves.I think this movie is an excellent portrayal of this type of warfare, which took place for almost 4 years in these areas. I think the words "hunting humans" is the best way to describe what happened in the woods during WW2.The acting, props, vehicles, scenes, ... are all pretty decent. I really got the impression that I was watching events that looked like having taken place during WW2.I am personally not aware of many other movies that try to portray the fight between Nazi controlled troops and the Partisans. I can only think of either "Defiance" (2008), with Daniel Craig in the lead role, or the very impressive "Wolyn" / "Hatred" (2016). Both movies however are seen from the viewpoint from the Partisans and/or the local population. What makes "Natural Light" unique is that it takes the viewpoint from the side of a hungarian soldier that fights for the german occupier...I score this movie 6.7/10, resulting in an IMDb rating of 7 stars. I think this movie is a very relevant one in understanding this type of warfare that took place during WW2. It really is contrary to the "Blitzkrieg" that many think about when they talk about WW2.
Reviewed by adamporban 1 / 10

Avoid it.

A near two-hour long, historically inaccurate disappointment centered around some weird 40-something guy that does not really do much; Or talk much throughout the movie.This movie lacks:1.) A good degree of historical accuracy.2.) An understandable depiction of what's going on.3.) Any fine characters and interesting performances.4.) Any modicum of entertainment.5.) Dialogs/Action/Characters/and 'Light' in general.6.) WW2 Hungarian weaponry, accurate uniforms 7.) Young people of Military age; those who would have been enlisted during that time..The uniforms used are weird and cheap looking. In my opinion, they might even be Chinese reproductions from the Internet.The weapons you get to see in this movie are: German Kar 98 rifles, a West-German or Austrian MG3, and an MP-40.Out of these 3 weapons only the MP-40's saw limited use by Hungarian troops on the Eastern front in 1942-1943.Personally, I think it fails badly even as entertainment.Still, I suppose some people may enjoy tedious, melodramatic films populated with boring, unlikeable characters..
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