It's spy vs. spy in Bergendy's The Exam

by Fabien Lemercier

25/03/2011 - After attracting attention with his debut feature Stop Mom Theresa! (which won two awards at Hungarian Film Week 2005 and was selected at numerous international festivals), Péter Bergendy is currently working on the post-production of The Exam, which takes an in-depth look at internal espionage in paranoid, post-1956 Hungary.

The cast includes Zsolt Nagy (Nosedive [trailer], Kolorado Kid [trailer] – European Film Promotion’s Shooting Star 2008), Janos Kulka, Gabriella Hamori (Chameleon – Shooting Star 2006), Péter Scherer and Andras Balogh.

Scripted by Norbert Köbli, The Exam opens in Budapest after the failure of the 1956 uprising. Terror reigns and the new Prime Minister, János Kádár, orders that the loyalty of National Defence officers be put to the test.

Among them is the highly ambitious Jung (Zsolt Nagy), who carries out his work as an internal spy in the cultural sector masquerading as a private teacher. In his apartment, secret meetings are held between agents and informers.

Marko (Janos Kulka), Jung’s boss and only friend, is instructed to spy on him. The surveillance takes an unexpected turn when Marko discovers some secrets in Jung’s life that could destroy both their careers.

Produced by Istvan Bodzsar for Unio Film, The Exam received backing from Hungarian National Television. The film, whose 22-day shoot lasted until February, will be delivered at the end of 2011.

(Translated from French)