Close to Love (Kozel A Szerelemaez)

Running time: N/A

Close to Love is a tale of a young man setting out on his own for the first time, the young Chinese girl to whom he gives his heart, and the dog who seeks his friendship. Karcsi's life on a farm in rural Hungary is less than exciting. Deciding that he has had enough of the bucolic life, he heads for the big city to become a policeman. A true greenhorn, he is quickly taught the realities of police work by his cynical colleagues, although he never loses his essential goodness. What he is not taught is how to communicate with a young Chinese woman he encounters who has fled her home and country for mysterious reasons. In the process of trying to help her, he falls in love in spite of the lack of a common language. His friends and family are at a loss to understand his passion and try to discourage him, but it's a case of love overcoming all obstacles, even the exotic and inexplicable, as East meets West head-on. "I am not a Chinese girl, I am not a dog and I am not even a policeman who comes from a farm. Still I feel this story closer to me than any other stories I have written before. I hope that after having seen the film fewer people will hate stray dogs, refugees and policemen," director Andras Salamon. Winner, FIPRESCI Award - Cottbus Film Festival of Young East European Cinema. --Ed Soohoo