REVIEW: ‘Restless Hungarian’ finds filmmaker searching for his family’s truth
Photo: Director Tom Weidlinger shoots a scene from his childhood with actors Tibor Legát (Paul Weidlinger) and Lőrinc Pap (Tom, age 5). Photo courtesy of The Restless Hungarian / Provided by OCPR with permission.
The Restless Hungarian, from director Tom Weidlinger, is a touching and thorough examination of the filmmaker’s family over the course of several generations. In particular, Tom searches for stories of his father, Paul Weidlinger, who was a structural engineer of great repute. His father’s story is impactful and spans the 20th century, involving not only fleeing Europe before the Holocaust but also resettling in Bolivia and eventually the United States. As Tom re-creates the very steps that his family took, he also learns of some family secrets that are devastating and important to unearth.
The documentary, which is now available on digital platforms, tell its story in several unique ways. For starters, Tom is a character himself because he’s actually retracing the steps of his father and mother, even heading into the apartment where they once lived in La Paz, Bolivia. This seems entirely appropriate given Paul’s work as a structural engineer; having his son walk through the spaces he lived and sometimes even built speaks to his father’s architectural interests.
Other aspects of the story are told through reenactment and voiceover, and then there are select interviews, including an archival conversation that Tom had with his father. Taken together, these elements add up to a stirring portrait of a life lived in the 20th century, sometimes under hellish conditions. There are segments about the Weidlinger’s Jewish ancestry and their need to leave Europe as the war begins. There are also somber, silent moments of reflection, like when Tom visits the country house that his father built on a lake.
There are many reasons to tell this story, and undoubtedly one of them is the revelation that comes near the end of the narrative. It’s best not to divulge details of this shocking development, but suffice to say, Tom receives many unexpected answers to his queries about the family and what may have happened to loved ones. These details are not shared in an exploitative or dramatic fashion; instead, they are offered to the audience as lessons learned on important topics like mental health and inherited trauma.
Tom Weidlinger has crafted a moving documentary, based on his book of the same name, that tells a story of a family thrown asunder by a rise in antisemitism and the outbreak of war. Every step they take in their shared journey is another development to be examined in understanding the all-important themes of conflict, marriage, parenting, geographic displacement, personal trauma, familial connections and, perhaps above all else, the ability to heal.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Restless Hungarian (2023). Directed by Tom Weidlinger. Running time: 106 minutes. Now available on all digital platforms. Rating: 
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