Just over 40 seconds into Democracy Noir, Connie Field’s documentary examining modern Hungary, its central theme comes into focus.
Following striking shots of the Danube and Budapest, Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s prime minister and the film’s main subject, introduces himself in English to activists, followed by clips of him speaking warmly with Vladimir Putin—and later shaking hands with a grinning Donald Trump.
Observant viewers will recognize the implicit message: this is not simply about the politics of a modestly sized European nation.
Instead, the 90-minute film—debuting in the U.S. this week—depicts Orbán’s gradual erosion of democratic institutions through the perspectives of three women: opposition politician Timea Szabó, journalist Babette Oroszi, and nurse Niko Antal. Its themes carry broader significance for American audiences confronting the aftermath of Trump’s influence.
“I’d call this the most timely film I’ve made,” said Field, an acclaimed director whose past work covers South Africa’s apartheid collapse, the U.S. civil rights movement, and the My Lai massacre.
“One of our greatest global threats today is the decline of democracy. People see it as an abstract idea, but it’s not. It’s the best system we have to advance true equality.”
Field, whose husband is Hungarian, began documenting events in Hungary after witnessing a 2014 protest in Budapest’s Liberty Square. Demonstrators opposed a government-backed memorial they said misrepresented Hungary’s wartime role by portraying it as a victim rather than acknowledging its alliance with Nazi Germany.
Her initial focus was Hungary’s democratic regression—an EU and NATO member where Orbán has rewritten constitutional rules, weakened judicial and academic independence, and entrenched his rule.
However, Trump’s rise—and his alignment with Orbán—has made the issue deeply pertinent in the U.S. Some of Trump’s allies now cite Hungary as a model. Orbán visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago three times in 2024, including after Trump’s election win over Kamala Harris. Meanwhile, the pro-Trump group CPAC has hosted multiple events in Budapest.
Yet sensitivities around Orbán’s ties to Trump are evident in Washington D.C., where the film’s distributor, Clarity Films, has struggled to secure a local cinema willing to screen it.
Read next
Pete Hegseth's proposal to stream executions aligns US with controversial nations.
If the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, proceeds with plans to livestream the execution of a soldier radicalized to extremist Islam, who killed 13 people at a military base in Texas, the US would join a group of lesser powers and rogue actors known for public executions in recent years.
Criminals steal €5m from renowned Italian winery
In a significant theft in Tuscany, thousands of wine bottles valued at €5 million have been stolen from the renowned Marchesi Antinori winery, marking what is considered the largest heist of its kind in Italy. A group of at least seven masked individuals breached the winery's cellar in
Illuminated Theater in Havana – A Photographic Journey
Widespread blackouts have become more frequent in Cuba since the US imposed energy sanctions in January. These outages often last longer than 24 hours as the aging electrical grid struggles to cope. The Impulso theatre group has been forced to adapt, as the power cuts present significant challenges for the