Focus Country - Hungary. Zoltán Fábri Retrospective. A Pál utcai fiúk / The Boys of Paul Street

Synopsis

Fábri’s faithful adaptation of Molnár’s novel became a true ambassador: a Hungarian–American co-production that reached Western distributors and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, cementing its status as perhaps the most internationally recognised of Fábri’s youth-set dramas. Critics praised its fidelity and emotional clarity.

Set in Budapest at the turn of the 20th century, the film follows two rival gangs of teenage boys—the "Paul Street Boys" and the "Red Shirts"—who are competing for control of a "grund" (a vacant lot) that serves as their playground and territory. The story focuses on the Paul Street boys, led by the noble Boka, and the smallest, most courageous member of their group, the sickly Ernő Nemecsek.