Földszint (Ground floor)

On the eve of departure for the summer holiday with his wife Vera, Kristóf unexpectedly discovers black mold on the wall behind their closet. Overwhelmed with the situation and convinced it is caused by a water leak somewhere in the building, he begins knocking on his neighbours’ doors in search of its origin. What seems like a simple maintenance issue soon spirals into a tragicomic housing revolution, forcing Kristóf to confront not only a crumbling apartment block but also the deeper cracks running through contemporary Hungarian society.

This story was written prior to the Hungarian elections in April 2026. For 16 years, a corrupt government ruled the country, silencing critical thinking and taking over every aspect of life. In this stifling environment, the only defense for many was to remain uninvolved, while the hope that we could do anything for our future dwindled year by year.
The film’s protagonist, Kristóf Méhn, is a person whose apathy is also strengthened by his personal grief and the loss of his father. On the day he finds out that he is going to be a father, he accidentally discovers black mold on the wall of his flat. The film tells the story of the subsequent few hours, from Friday afternoon to the next morning, from awakening from apathy to the drama of his relationship. The tragicomic investigation is the rebellion of a small man, which ultimately leads to a revolution.
The visual style of the film is defined by the conscious mixing of the micro-realist and documentary styles, and as the encounters with the residents become more frequent, they become increasingly absurd. As the plot progresses, Kristóf finds out more and more and he reacts increasingly extremely, the rhythm of the film gets faster and more agitated.
An important inspiration was Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-sharp minor, which essentially conveys the mood of the entire film.
My original intention was to break the silence by awakening from my own apathy. I didn’t know then that the April elections would reflect exactly this awakening. And although the present tense of the film has become recent history, I still think that its meaning is important: we have to stand up not only for ourselves, but also for our community, for the kind of house we want to live in.

PRODUCTION 1:
Proton Cinema - Júlia Berkes
Pozsonyi út 14
1137 Budapest, Hungary
Tel: +36 1 321 8178
E-mail: hello@protoncinema.hu
Web: http://www.protoncinema.hu

PRODUCTION 2:
All At Once - Andrea Romeo
Via della Zecca n.2
40121 Bologna, Italy
E-mail: moretti@iwonderpictures.com

WORLD SALES:
Films Boutique - Jean-Christophe Simon
Köpenicker Str. 184
10997 Berlin, Germany
Tel: +49 3069537850
E-mail: contact@filmsboutique.com
Web: http://www.filmsboutique.com
Social Media: @filmsboutique - Instagram

ITALIAN DISTRIBUTION:
I Wonder Pictures
Via della Zecca, 2
40121 Bologna, Italy
E-mail: distribution@iwonderpictures.it
Web: http://www.iwonderpictures.com
Social Media: @iwonderpictures - Instagram

PRESS OFFICE: Jon Rushton - Critical PR E-mail: jon@critical-pr.com
Tel: +44-7969837242

Hannah Farr - Critical PR
E-mail: hannah@critical-pr.com

ITALIAN PRESS OFFICE:
Stefania Collalto - Echo Group
E-mail: collalto@echogroup.it
Tel: +39 339 4279472
Lisa Menga – Echo Group
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Tel: +39 347 5251051
Giulia Bertoni – Echo Group
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