Márta Mészáros

The many films of Hungarian director Marta Meszaros are largely centered around women and their quest to establish stable, loving relationships based on friendship and respect. By creating female protagonists who are forced into situations requiring sudden decisive action and change, she encourages women to discover themselves independently, or through strong friendships with women without the influence or guidance of men. Meszaros' past has played an important role in her choice of subject matter. When she was quite young, her family emigrated to the Soviet Union in 1936. In 1938, her father, noted sculptor Laszlo Meszaros, was arrested and imprisoned there. He was never seen again. Soon after her mother died of typhpoid. Marta moved back to Hungary in 1946. She eventually returned to the Soviet Union to study film. Her tragic past formed the basis for her two best known films, Naplo gyermekeimnek (1982) and Naplo szerelmeimnek (1987).

~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide