Have you ever watched a movie in a language other than your own? I have but I don’t remember much about it. It was Amelie. I watched it years ago but have no idea who I was with or why we chose to watch it. Today I watched something I knew nothing about but was watching it merely for an assignment. I found myself not even realizing it wasn’t in English five minutes in and caught in the movie itself. It was On Body and Soul. Have you watched it? It took place in Hungary and was in Hungarian. The film was from 2017 and seems to take place present day.

I thought it was going to be a romantic comedy. It had parts of romance in it but not your typical kind. This was different. I loved the awkwardness the two main characters shared and that they fell in love. They were teased by the other characters, making them perfect for each other.

The setting took place primarily in a slaughterhouse. This was where the characters worked. The scenes in the film were shocking and not for a weak stomach. They show the animals getting skinned and butchered. I had to close my eyes during parts because it was raw! The rest of the film took place in the two main characters’ homes or their dream which they shared in a snowy forest.

The two main characters were very similar. Maria was a new hire to the slaughterhouse and therefore shy being new. As the film went on you could tell that she was lonely, never attempting to make friends, and paid a higher than usual attention to detail in checking the fat level of the animals, maybe a touch of Asperger’s. Endre is the manager and is disabled. He has a lame arm and is somewhat odd but very observant. He was drawn to Maria. He noticed her the second day she was there and noticed she was alone. He was drawn to her and she was a bit hesitant playing the conversation they had with salt and pepper shakers in her home alone later that night, over analyzing the situation.

These characters are similar to characters here in America. We have all types of people. The saying there’s a lid for every pot is fitting here. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the characters compared to Americans. They ate at work in a cafeteria and had typical food like soup. One thing unusual was Maria did not have a cell phone until later in the film, and Endre was shown watching an older-style tv. Their lives seemed much simpler. They seemed to form a relationship but once Endre put it on hold sleeping with another woman. Maria attempted to commit suicide but Endre called her and Maria bandaged herself up and they found their groove.

I think the characters both displayed some Asperger/Autistic characteristics. They were both a bit different from the other characters in the film but made for each other. Their social cues were a bit off and they had a hard time making friends but they were both excellent at their work.