Diary for My Children

Budapest in the late 1940s: Juli, a teenage orphan, returns to Hungary from the Soviet Union, where she lived in exile with her parents. Her foster mother Magda, a Communist Party functionary, takes in Juli and her sick adoptive grandfather when they arrive in Budapest. Juli is a rebellious girl and repeatedly comes into conflict with Magda's futile efforts to assert her authority. Despite the relatively good life she is offered, Juli cannot resign herself to living with Magda. Juli, whose parents were victims of Stalinist terror in the Soviet Union, resents Magda's loyalty to the line. Juli skips school and spends her days at the cinema. She develops a relationship with Janos, an older man who reminds her of her father. The visits to the cinema and the free-spirited Janos help Juli escape from her oppressive world. Over the years, as Juli gains self-confidence and learns more about her past, Madga continues to lose personality by bowing to party pressure. Juli finally separates from Magda and moves in with Janos and his disabled son Andras.