Örökbefogadas (Adoption)

To escape the loneliness and monotony of her daily life, 43-year-old factory worker Kati yearns for a child—a desire that falls on deaf ears when she shares it with her married lover. Amidst this seemingly hopeless situation, she meets young Anna, who lives in a nearby children’s home. A deep bond quickly forms between them, and they become a source of mutual support as they face life-altering decisions… With quiet intensity, Márta Mészáros explores taboo subjects—such as adoption, the isolation of female factory workers, and the constraints of marriage—distilling the dilemmas faced by women in socialist Hungary into a groundbreaking work of feminist cinema. The film earned Mészáros the Golden Bear in Berlin, making her the first woman to receive the award. (Fruzsi Vajda)