Without Air, now streaming on MUBI, is without doubt a work of art that every moviegoer irrespective of cultural and political allegiance, must watch, if for no other reason then to see how cinema, even in the most conservative society, uses the space up there to fight oppression.
This becomes even more relevant for us in the light of the pedestrian pro-government propaganda films that are being churned out these days.
In Without Air , a schoolteacher Ana (Agnes Krasznahorkai) fights tooth and nail for her right to teach her class of teenagers the way she wants to.Director director Katalin Moldovai makes her profoundly impressive debut with a film that stays afloat right till the end without compromising on its basic theme of finding one’s bearings in an environment of compromise.
Like her heroine Ana, Director Moldovai brings no “settlement” into her tone.
This is a film where the determination to fight for what seems right is non-negotiable. Hence when Ana recommends the 1995 Polish film Total Eclipse directed by Agnieszka Holland about a gay relationship between poets Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine , to her students, one of them Viktor (Soma Sandor) becomes the source of a conflict for Ana when Viktor’s father questions her right to recommend such an immoral film to her students.
The ‘scandal’ is treated with the same indignant ire as it would be if the teacher slept with one of her students .The school management wants Ana to apologize so that everyone can move on with their lives.
Ana, however,has other plans. She won’t buckle under pressure.She sees nothing wrong in educating her students the way she wants to. How could it be wrong for young people to watch a film that is considered a classic? The resoluteness with which Ana stands her ground is exemplary and inspiring: we need more educationists who can look beyond immediate benefits and losses.
It’s not that Ana doesn’t care about losing her job.But she has her value system in place. This she deploys in her profession without tomtomming her lofty ethics.There is a plainspeaking tone in the film that is immensely gratifying, though I did feel that some of the dramatic moments could have been slightly more punctuated.
This is especially true in the sequence where Ana pays Viktor’s father a visit. They argue over the issue of education versus learning. But not heatedly. And Viktor, who is shown to be sensitive , remains a mute frightened spectator. Is he bullied by his father? There is a hint of domestic abuse in Viktor’s story which needed elaboration.
The climax which has Ana walking proudly out of the mess with her head held high and music on the car radio booming, was rather abrupt. How does her departure solve the problem? On the contrary, it only makes things easier for the administration.
Without Air is a work of deep ruminative silences. When the characters speak, we listen. There is much to be said and such few words!
Funfact: Without Air was released in Hungary on November 2. Twentynine years later Total Eclipse was released in Poland on November 3.