Welcome back! It’s time to add another ingredient to our 2025 Review Stew. I found myself lost in Kanopy’s short film section again. Today’s pick is one that I chose solely because the thumbnail stood out from the crowd. Let’s dive into the Hungarian short film… Susotázs (2018).
Title: Susotázs (2018) ‘Chuchotage’
Director: Barnabás Tóth
Released: April 24, 2018 (Russia – Moscow International Film Festival)
Runtime: 16 minutes
Available to stream on: Kanopy
Pál (Pál Göttinger) and András (Géza Takács) are both Hungarian translators who have been selected to work a business conference in Prague where they’ll be translating English speeches on “Environment-effectological mechanism of ammonia-based condensers”. Sounds like riveting topic, right?
Well, Pàl and András feel the same. When they find out that there is only one person in the crowd who they will be translating for, they decide their mission for the day is to figure out who the individual is.
But will they be able to stay professional while pinpointing the one Hungarian they’re translating for?
There isn’t anything in Susotázs (2018) that will particularly “wow” you. The story is pretty straightforward, two guys try to figure out who in the crowd is the one person listening to their translations.
However, the way they go about trying to find the person walks a pretty fine line. Can it be interpreted as humorous? Yes, it could. But it could just as easily come across as sexual harassment. Still, even though you see the twist coming from a mile away, it’s funny when it plays out.
The production design perfectly encapsulates what it’s like to be at a dull work conference. You can feel the boredom in the room just by looking at it. This helps us to better understand why Pál and András decide to play their games to liven up the day.
Overall, Susotázs (2018) on Kanopy is further proof that having fun isn’t hard when you’ve got a library card.
So, have you seen Susotázs (2018)?
If so, leave a comment below or reach out on Bluesky and tell me what you thought!
As always, you can follow me over on Letterboxd to see what else I’ve been watching lately.