Drifter

Ricsi really wants to speed through life on squealing tires, but finds that life is constantly applying the handbrake. It’s not easy for an 18-year-old in the poverty-stricken Hungarian countryside. What Ricsi really wants is to be a professional racecar driver. He drops out of school because the upcoming local rally is much more important to him. When Ricsi isn’t racing or tinkering with cars, he craves love and attention. But the girls – and even his own father – keep him at arm’s length. His skill as a driver is obvious, but he has almost as much talent for taking wrong turns in life. In the meantime, Ricsi’s single mother tries everything in her power – with a little help from the horoscopes – to keep her rebellious son on the straight and narrow. But how is their combined monthly income of €600 supposed to pay the fines Ricsi keeps getting for driving without a license? Ricsi’s juvenile male restlessness is captured in close-ups and medium shots of his soiled hands, vulnerable eyes, tough-guy outfits and ever-changing hairstyles. At the same time, director Gábor Hörcher beautifully frames the silent witness to Ricsi’s trials and tribulations: the rugged, persistent Hungarian countryside, loaded with decay and melancholy. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)