The Temptation of St. Tony (Püha Tõnu kiusamine) (2009)

89% of critics liked it
(9 reviews)
68% of users liked it
(197 ratings)

A seemingly normal man is drawn into a life where nothing makes sense in this offbeat comedy from Estonian filmmaker Veiko Õunpuu. Tony (Taavi Eelmaa) is an ordinary white-collar office drone whose world is becoming increasingly bizarre. His wife (Ravshana Kurkova) is increasingly angry and… More A seemingly normal man is drawn into a life where nothing makes sense in this offbeat comedy from Estonian filmmaker Veiko Õunpuu. Tony (Taavi Eelmaa) is an ordinary white-collar office drone whose world is becoming increasingly bizarre. His wife (Ravshana Kurkova) is increasingly angry and disinterested in him, his teenage daughter doesn't pay attention to him, his father's funeral turned into a spectacle when a massive auto wreck interrupted the procession, and his employers have become ruthless to the point of incoherence. When Tony helps an attractive young woman (Ravshana Kurkova) who is being harassed by police, she becomes a frequent presence in his life until she's abducted, leading Tony into a netherworld of surreal violence and criminal behavior that could pass for performance art. Püha Tõnu Kiusamine (aka The Temptation of St. Tony) received its North American premiere as an official selection at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 54 min.
Directed By: Veiko Õunpuu
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy

In Theaters: Sep 17, 2010 Limited
On DVD: Jan 25, 2011
Studio: Olive Films

Critic Reviews

Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle
Full of extreme imagery and offering many darkly satirical touches, this Estonian picture brings to mind the work of Luis Buñuel, David Lynch and Ingmar Bergman.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
The Temptation of St. Tony becomes a harrowing, often darkly comic nightmare, studded with allusions to art, literature and film.
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
Bizarre and beautiful, disturbing and droll.
Beth Accomando, KPBS.org
The Temptation of St. Tony is a slow moving but wry and surreal work that pays off if you let it work its spell on you.
Nicolas Rapold, L.A. Weekly
Õunpuu's orchestrations and barbed surprises, which greatly depend on cinematographer Mart Taniel (and various Estonian theater vets), hold continued promise.
Diego Costa, Slant Magazine
There's no better cinematic praise than to be evocative of Béla Tarr's tour de force Werckmeister Harmonies.
Annlee Ellingson, Moving Pictures Magazine
The references come so fast so often that only the most conversant of cineastes could possibly keep up.
Eric Monder, Film Journal International
Nightmarish tale of existential crisis both disturbs and delights.
David Fear, Time Out New York
It's tempting to call this stunning sick joke the work of a true visionary.

Read all 9 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Dimitris S

What a malicious and illuminating journey to the depths of hellish beauty! That's a paradox alright but how can you explain Õunpuu's essay on the culmination of ideals, of anticipations and of obsolete dreams in any different way? A higher quality film than any Tarr of the… More
What a malicious and illuminating journey to the depths of hellish beauty! That's a paradox alright but how can you explain Õunpuu's essay on the culmination of ideals, of anticipations and of obsolete dreams in any different way? A higher quality film than any Tarr of the 2000's and by applying a semi-Lynch universe in the black and white disturbance, I don't think anyone would really care that the plot's vignettes are over-represented and the abruptness of things defies the superlative characters. It's what it is and subjective interpretation is required when you're dealing with Estonian landscapes. After all, we're all gonna die at some point, poor Tõnu simply happened to preserve a slice of cynicism more than the rest of us.