Filmed in black & white during the waning days of the Soviet socialist occupation, Damnation is infused with a gloomy fatalism.

Tarr is seldom prized as a storyteller, yet I noticed, for the first time, how neatly his plot is woven into the texture of the tale.

It's a serotonin-depleted ordeal, and yet seemingly a sketchbook of vibes and ideas to come, with some of the most magnificent black-and-white images shot anywhere in the world.

Damnation is a pivotal film in Béla Tarr’s filmography, a sensationally shot work that represents one of the earliest examples of the filmmaker’s austere and unique style.