Natural Light

Based on the novel of the same name by Pál Závada, Natural Light (Természetes Fény) follows a regiment of Hungarian soldiers who have been sent to a region of the former Soviet Union to root out partisans. Taking refuge from the elements in a remote village, the soldiers continue their search for partisans, but their stay ends up being longer than expected, following a deadly encounter.

Natural Light is an interesting film, painting a complex and uncomfortable portrait of the human experience, and evoking an understated sense of mounting horror through its deliberately agonising pace. While it is ostensibly a piece about World War Two, the conflict itself factors very little into the narrative, and the production instead uses the tense socio-political backdrop of the war to explore the darker sides of humanity through themes such as complicity and the distressing capacity for casual violence.

This sense of discomfort and dread is bolstered by excellent cinematography and sound design, which work together to create a viscerally unnerving sensory landscape. The camerawork, with its emphasis on dull colours and harsh shading, teases additional layers of nuance and unease from its talented cast, as well as the forest setting, bringing it to life and making it as much of a character as the humans in the story. 

The sound design also does a great job in ratcheting up the levels of apprehension, amplifying the mundane sounds of village life to disrupt and subvert even the most ordinary actions. There is also a particular emphasis on wet sounds, from the squelches of trekking through a swamp to the usually innocuous sounds of drinking, which serves to further communicate a palpable sense of dread in what should be normal and unremarkable moments. In the world of Natural Light, even existing is a painful and uncomfortable act.

Natural Light is something of a tough watch, very deliberately slow and ponderous in a way that is likely to alienate a lot of its audience. The film also makes no effort to accommodate anyone put off by its distinctive style, more than content in its own pacing and structure. Despite this, for more patient moviegoers there’s an intriguing cinematic experience here, with great cinematography and solid acting to communicate a subtle but very human horror.

Umar Ali

Natural Light is released digitally on demand on 12^th November 2021.

Watch the trailer for Natural Light here: