As Far as I Know

No equal signs of justice can be drawn between those who are accused of a crime, those who are convicted of a crime and those who are the true offenders. That triangle always contains the accused who are not guilty and true offenders whose guilt cannot be ultimately proven. Throughout history, one of the greatest deviations in the strive towards equality has occurred in the triangle of guilt in sexual crimes, where guilt is largely proven on the basis of a woman’s will.

“As Far as I Know” is based on a true-life story and talks of the complicated process of criminal proceedings initiated due to rape from the perspective of the victim’s spouse Dénes. Years of failed attempts to get pregnant lead Nóra and Dénes to the decision of adopting a child who would unite them as a family and save their crumbling marriage. After another dinner full of arguments, where the message of joy is dampened by pity from friends, Nóra decides to take a city bus home alone from the restaurant. When Dénes wakes up in the morning, the bed beside him is empty. Nóra, who finally staggers home after a frantic search, claims that she has been raped. In the absence of any tragic injuries and actual evidence, Dénes gets an ever-deepening feeling that his wife’s claim is yet another desperate cry for help in order to gain attention.

That is the beginning of a sharply tense hunt for truth on the trail of suspicions, in the course of which the prejudices of the audience are also incisively mapped.

Elise Eimre