Three on the bench

Aldo Nicolaj’s play tells the story of three elderly people, the retired days of the last few living members of the “iron generation”. The survived and struggled XX. the end of the century reaches them in a crowded housing estate. The woman remained gentle and cheerful — but the once strong boys who were once brave soldiers, then hard-working workers, waist-high fathers, proud, self-conscious men — were now mindful, shabby, grumpy gentlemen. Who alone, who lives just tolerated by his family, but in any case lives alone ... ends up in this little space, waiting on the bench waiting without a goal - and exchanging words with someone who has acted similarly. They don't know each other, but slowly as they run into each other on the bench ... they'll become friends. And their friendship gradually fills them up, the feeling of emptiness is replaced by the security of belonging somewhere, the reassuring routine of newly acquired habits.

Directed by Pál Göttinger, Three on the bench leans on a strong ensemble — Miklós Benedek, János Gálvölgyi, Márta Egri — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 2021.