New York Times Review by Janet Maslin

Does the lesbian love affair in ''Another Way'' mirror the political rebelliousness of at least one of the two women? To a certain extent, yes. But Karoly Makk, the Hungarian director of this film, doesn't belabor the point. He tells his story simply and romantically, using the characters' politics almost as a backdrop to their courtship. Livia (Grazyna Szapolowska), a journalist, is the beautiful, restless wife of an army officer. Eva (Jadwiga Janokowska-Cieslak) is a more outspoken reporter, and she is overtly a lesbian. Eva develops an interest in Livia, with whom she shares an office, and begins shyly but doggedly to pursue her. Livia, equally curious at first, becomes frightened but not unreceptive. The two meet frequently in a Budapest cafe where the pianist plays ''The Man I Love'' as Eva and Livia are swept away by their flirtation. It is not entirely clear, because the film's style is otherwise so matter-offact, to what degree this irony is intentional.

''Another Way'' is based on a true story, and it begins on a tragic note. Livia is seen recovering from an accident; we learn that she is paralyzed. Eva and Livia's husband have also met with terrible fates. Then the rest of the story is told in flashback, though Mr. Makk might better have presented it chronologically. The violence that finally shatters this romantic triangle may be the truest aspect of the story and the one that brought it to Mr. Makk's attention. But within the context of an otherwise gentle film, this resolution seems melodramatic, especially after it has been robbed of suspense.

The film's real strength lies in its two vivid, believable leading performances by the Polish actresses who are its stars. Miss Jankowska-Cieslak in particular gives Eva a tough, resilient manner that also incorporates an impish and seductive side. Outspoken at the newspaper office (The Truth is the name of the publication), she can be kittenish with Livia, impassive with a former lover who would like to resume an affair, or resignedly practical with an admiring waitress who sends her a note in a cigarette package. Eva works against the status quo in both the newspaper office and in Livia's life, and her sexual and political attitudes overlap. When she and Livia are caught necking on a park bench by two disapproving male policemen, Eva protests loudly.

''You've no right to treat me like this!'' she complains. ''We're not in America,'' they tell her. ''Get moving.'' ''Another Way'' is finally more memorable as a love story than as a political work, but its attempt to touch both bases is a creditable, interesting one.


Review from Popcorn Q

Based on a popular, partly autobiographical novel, Another Way traces the developing relationship between Eva, a sparrowlike but determinedly uncompromising journalist from the provinces who is overtly lesbian, and Livia, a beautiful, restless fellow journalist unhappily married to an army officer.

Director Karoly Makk's considerable achievement here is his interweaving of two controversial themes - lesbianism and political repression - into the historic context of the still-sensitive period following the 1956 Hungarian uprising. Another Way skillfully treats the lesbian affair as a mirror for a wider discussion of public and private freedom. More specifically, the film follows the precarious path of journalists in the post-1956 "consolidation" period between commitment and compromise. Makk triumphs in evoking astonishingly sensitive performances from Polish actresses Jadwiga Jankowska-Cieslak (winner of the Best Actress Prize at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival) and Graznya Szapolowska as the tormented couple whose characterizations vividly intensify the impact of the film's controversial sexual and political themes.


Time Out Film Guide

Opening and closing - in a circular flashback movement - on the classic cold war cliché of the corpse by the mist-enshrouded watchtower, this film cunningly undercuts expectations aroused by its 1958 Hungarian setting. For the body belongs to a female reporter punished for loving Truth, Freedom and Beauty - in the form of other women. Probing the interface of professional and sexual integrity, Makk troublingly links 'deviant' lesbianism with a commitment to impeccably democratic ideals. Not just a film of Big Themes, though: the love scenes sail close to the wind, steering an unsteady course between voyeurism and candour.


“Imbued with real cinematic power, this film makes a solid and intelligent plea for tolerance in a repressive society” -- Channel 4 Film Guide