Kontroll’s highly stylized yet gritty (sur)realism moves along swiftly in its examination of existentialism. I can’t pretend I entirely understood it, but this is a movie that left me with a smile on my face throughout most of it. A bewitching mix of genres that reminded me a little of Night Watch and Donnie Darko, Kontroll’s allegory riffs on Greek mythology’s Orpheus and Eurydice. The subway system serves as the literal representation of the underworld. Orpheus (the character Bulcsú) has, for reasons seemingly unknown even to himself, left behind a promising career on the surface to live and work underground. There he encounters Eurydice, riding the rails in the guise of a giant teddy bear, and comes face to face with the always lurking Death, who, dressed in a hoodie, pushes hapless victims in front of oncoming trains. It’s easy to develop a bit of fondness for Bulcsú’s ragtag crew of ticket inspectors – the narcoleptic, the chainsmoker, the eager beaver rookie, and the short guy with the Napoleon complex. We know little about them, but what you don’t know lends a bit of mystery to it all as these bad news bears comically and valiantly take on the venom and vitriol of the other crews and of a public that has little regard for them. Overall, it’s a fine ride.