Where to Watch The Inheritance (1980)

Summary

In this standard Hungarian drama, the effects of sterility and jealousy on a marriage are played out against a backdrop of World War II and the rising Nazi persecution of Jews. Director Marta Meszaros usually focuses on issues like pregnancy, middle-age, and other topics without questioning the broader picture. In this drama, Sylvia (Lili Monori) cannot have children, and she convinces married Jewish woman Irene (Isabelle Huppert) to have a child and then give the child to her for adoption. The plan works but it also backfires. The way in which the child was adopted causes friction between Sylvia and her husband, and to make matters worse, Sylvia's husband falls in love with Irene. A crisis looms when he asks his jealous wife to give Irene her identity papers because Jews are being deported and Irene will die without their help.