Béla Tarr's 2000 film <i>The Werckmeister Harmonies</i> deals with troubling events in a small town in Hungarian's eastern plains. After an opening scene showing simpleton postman János demonstrating to a bar full of drunks how the Earth and moon rotate around the sun with the help of three of the old geezers, he does his rounds in the early mornin…

With the temperature well below zero, it's odd to see the rural population of the Hungarian plain standing around awaiting the ultimate in circus attractions (if not the ultimate nightmare for the taxidermist). A giant whale is revealed and, well, many of them have no idea what to make of it. As it remains, it attracts visitors from all around and …