Directed by Béla Tarr • 1988 • Hungary
Starring Miklós Székely B., György Cserhalmi, Vali Kerekes

This newly restored midcareer masterwork by legendary Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr, the first of his internationally acclaimed trilogy of films written in collaboration with author László Krasznahorkai, chronicles the doomed affair between bar Titanik regular Karrer (Miklós B. Székely) and the cruel cabaret singer (Vali Kerekes) he pines for while scheming to displace her brutish husband (György Cserhalmi). A poignant political allegory that solidified Tarr’s arresting aesthetic, DAMNATION features the exquisite black-and-white cinematography and mesmerizing long takes that would come to be the director’s trademark.