Film
The Turin Horse
A torinói ló
A farmer and his daughter live in a stone house on a wind-scoured plain with one horse, one well and a sack of potatoes. Over six days the horse refuses to work, then to eat. Béla Tarr announced this would be his last film, and it was.
About
Béla Tarr said before release that A torinói ló would be his final film, and he has kept to it. Co-directed as always with his editor and partner Ágnes Hranitzky, written with László Krasznahorkai, it took the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI at the Berlinale in 2011.
The premise comes from the anecdote about Nietzsche in Turin in 1889, throwing his arms around a horse being beaten in the street; the film asks what happened to the horse. What follows is six days in a stone house on a windblown plain: a father and daughter dress, fetch water, boil one potato each, look out of the window, sleep. János Derzsi and Erika Bók play them in near-silence across thirty long takes, shot by Fred Kelemen in monochrome, with Mihály Víg's score turning on the same phrase.
It is austere to the point of provocation and one of the most complete visions in modern European cinema — a film about work, weather and diminishing returns that manages to be gripping if you let its rhythm take hold. The catalogue already has Sátántangó and Werckmeister Harmonies; this is the end of that line, and Tarr meant it as one.
Where to Watch
Not currently available in your country.
Available in: , , , ,
Streaming availability via JustWatch. Last checked 2026-08-30.
Top Cast
János Derzsi
Ohlsdorfer
Erika Bók
Ohlsdorfer's daughter
Mihály Kormos
Bernhard
Lajos Kovács
Bernhard (voice)
Mihály Ráday
Narrator (voice)
Awards, Festivals & Mentions
-
Winner × 2 — Berlin prizes: Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize, FIPRESCI Prize
-
Nominee — Golden Bear — Berlin International Film Festival (2011)
-
Berlin International Film Festival 2011 — In Competition
