Sunshine (1999)

Directed by

István Szabó

Genre

drama film, war film, romance film, historical film

Country

Germany, Austria, Hungary, Canada

Runtime

2h 53m

Rated

R

Rating

6.4 of 10 from 152 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This film follows three generations of a Hungarian Jewish family from the late 1800s through the mid-1900s. They change their surname to fit in as empires rise and fall but still face identity struggles and internal family conflicts.

epicmelancholicpoignantcontemplativesoberingemotionally heavybittersweetsweeping

What happens

Sunshine is a 1999 epic historical drama film directed by István Szabó and written by Israel Horovitz and Szabó. It follows five generations of a Hungarian Jewish family, originally named Sonnenschein (German: "sunshine"), later changed to Sors (Hungarian: "fate"), during changes in Hungary, focusing mostly on the three generations from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century. The family story traverses the creation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire through to the period after the 1956 Revolution, while the characters are forced to surrender much of their identity and endure family conflict. The central male protagonist of all three generations is portrayed by Ralph Fiennes. The film's stars include Rachel Weisz and John Neville, with the real-life daughter and mother team of Jennifer Ehle and Rosemary Harris playing the same character across a six-decade storyline. The film was an international co-production among companies from Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Canada. It won three European Film Awards, including Best Actor for Fiennes, and three Canadian Genie Awards, including Best Motion Picture. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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