Captives
In post-war, communist Budapest the secret police imprison an ordinary family in their own apartment. The same fate awaits everyone that unsuspectingly rings the family’s doorbell.
Many Hungarians in post-war Budapest feared the sound of the doorbell in the early morning. This often meant that the secret police were there to deport a family on the basis of some vague accusations. The Gál family’s doorbell also rings one morning. Only, in their case, no one is deported; the secret police decides to move into their apartment and hold them as captives. The same goes for their visitors. Days without an explanation go by while a growing number of paranoid prisoners ponder the motives of the secret police.
Surprisingly, the tone of CAPTIVES is a relatively light-hearted and comical one. Of course there is fear, injustice and mistrust, but most of all there is solidarity and humanity. Even under a totalitarian government, there’s room for hope and trust. (wg)