The first film by director Nimród Antal, Kontroll takes place entirely underground, in the tunnels and flourescent light of the Budapest Metro. Bulcsú, the film’s confused hero, works as a ticket inspector (apparently, the Metro works on an honor system - no turnstiles) with his “gang” — narcoleptic Muki, tiny Lecsó, new guy Tibi, and the ancient Professor. They have run-ins with an endless stream of hostile customers, get their asses kicked on a regular basis, feud with a rival gang of inspectors led by the über-asshole Gonzo - basically, it’s a job with few perks. For entertainment, the inspectors play an even crazier version of chicken - racing from platform to platform, down the tracks, in between speeding trains. Meanwhile, it seems like more and more people are jumping to their death in front of trains (”how inconsiderate”, sniff the inspectors), but it might actually be the work of a super-pushy and mysterious hooded killer. So what kind of misfit would do this for a living?

Well, it’s a perfect job for Bulcsú, who never leaves the tunnels, instead sleeping against a pillar after the last train passes and living on food from vending machines. His past is briefly mentioned when he runs into a well-dressed former colleague, who misses Bulcsú and refers to the important work (of some kind) he did in the past. In an American version, there would undoubtedly be long expositions and flashbacks detailing the tragedy that sent Bulcsú underground, but here – thankfully – the details are left to the imagination.

Along the way, Bulcsú tells jokes with Béla, the Metro’s wise, drunk old trainman, gets caught up in the mysterious hooded killer drama, and meets a crazy girl in a …bear costume who might be weird enough to get him back into the real world. Is the mysterious hooded killer just that - a random weirdo - or is he something else? Are the owls what they seem?

The actors actually “look like real people” (thanks, chanchan!), and extra-weird ones at that, and they do a great job at fleshing out these strange-but-loveable characters. Kontroll is well-paced, suspenseful, hilarious, and very, very well-made, and it does a damn good job at being several genres rolled into one.