Review: 'Adoption' Refreshed and Renewed on Blu-ray

Famous Hungarian filmmakers like Béla Tarr and István Szabó are brought up in critical discussion pretty often when talking about Hungarian cinema history, yet neither of them cut through issues of gender subordination quite like Márta Mészáros. That's not to strip the beleaguered male filmmakers of their respective statures, of course, but Mészáros' body of work is a testament to the sheer diversity of stories to come out of Hungary during the same time period in which those two filmmakers flourished.

The Criterion Collection presents Márta Mészáros' 1975 award-winning drama "Adoption" on Blu-ray with a new 4K digital restoration undertaken by the National Film Institute Hungary – Film Archive. The 1080p presentation of the new restoration looks terrific overall, giving clear, rich detail to the black-and-white cinematography. While the picture tends to be a touch darker than I anticipated, the contrast is true and the film grain is resolved quite nicely. Criterion has added a few illuminating special features to enjoy as well, including an interview with Mészáros from 2019.

Kata (Katalin Berek) is a lonely, middle-aged woman who wants to give birth to a child, but her boyfriend immediately deflects her wishes. You see, her boyfriend is married, and even though she was not asking for this man to leave his wife or even care for this child, he still refuses. Anna (Gyöngyvér Vigh) – a much younger woman who wishes to be emancipated in order to marry her boyfriend – and Kata bond as they both try to navigate the patriarchal forces that dictate much of their lives.

"Adoption" can be rather depressing fare, but Mészáros seems to take little interest in telling a story of overwhelming doom. Rather, she depicts the wry uncertainty of each woman's life and the way they both must carefully try to stake their silent claim of personhood. Plus, as a special feature, this Blu-ray comes with "Blow-Ball," a terrific documentary short film that further emboldens my assessment that Mészáros is a rare filmmaker that can switch between doc and fiction with ease.

If you're interested at all in Mészáros' work, then "Adoption" is a terrific film to start your journey through her filmography with. In classic Criterion fashion, this new edition proves to be another terrific release worth picking up.

Other special features include:

� New video essay by scholar Catherine Portuges
� "Márta Mészáros: Portrait of the Hungarian Filmmaker" -- A 1979 documentary by Katja Raganelli featuring on-set interviews with the director and creative collaborators
� Trailer
� New English subtitle translation
� Plus: An essay by film scholar Elena Gorfinkel

"Adoption" is now available on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection.