COURTESY HIFF A tale of romance plays out as war clouds gather over Budapest in "Gloomy Sunday."

Uncertain fate enhances
mood of ‘Gloomy Sunday’

A haunting melody becomes linked to numerous suicides. Two men try to remain friends while sharing the love of an enchanting woman.

"Gloomy Sunday" Screens at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Dole Cannery Theatre. Tickets are $9 general; $8 students, seniors, military and children; and $7 for HIFF ohana members.

These are two of the key ingredients that make "Gloomy Sunday," Germany's contribution to the Hawaii International Film Festival Spring Showcase, a fascinating international hit with a story that transcends issues of race and ethnicity.

The setting is Budapest before and during World War II. Andras arrives late for his audition for the job of pianist at Laszlo's swank restaurant but gets the job after Ilona, the assistant manager, sweet-talks Laszlo into giving him a chance.

Ilona is Laszlo's free-spirited girlfriend and the assistant manager of his restaurant, but she becomes attracted to Andras as well, and Laszlo is too much of a gentleman to fire Andras or force Ilona to choose between them. On the contrary, when Andras confesses that he can't afford an appropriate suit to wear while playing at the restaurant, Laszlo buys him one.

Laszlo also arranges for a record company executive to hear the haunting melody Andras has composed -- already the most requested song at the restaurant -- and then negotiates a good deal with the record label on Andras' behalf.

The song, "Gloomy Sunday," becomes an international hit but soon is linked to a wave of suicides stretching from Hungary to North America.

Meanwhile, Germany is awake and seeking to re-establish itself as the dominant nation in Europe. World War II begins. The Hungarians, who have ample reasons of their own for being unhappy with the status quo, become allies of Nazi Germany. SS units come to Budapest, and Hungarian Jews like Laszlo find themselves in increasing jeopardy.

"Gloomy Sunday" is an engaging and entertaining film from start to finish but is especially memorable because the fate of the characters can't be predicted even though the narrative opens with a death many years after the end of the war. Two scenes in particular take the story in totally unexpected directions. The performances of the leads -- Erika Marozsan (Ilona), Joachim Krol (Laszlo), Stefano Dionisi (Andras) and Ben Becker (Hans) -- resonate throughout.

The original title, "Ein Lied von Liebe und Tod," translates into English as "A Song of Love and Death." It describes this gem of a film perfectly.

"Gloomy Sunday" contains male and female nudity, several explicit sex scenes, a small amount of graphic violence and a small amount of crude vocabulary. By American standards it would probably be rated R.