Character Relationship Map: Strangled

Characters

• Réti Ákos (played by Gábor Jászberényi) — protagonist

  A central suspect and likely the psychotic killer responsible for the string of brutal murders targeting young women.

• Bóta nyomozó (played by Zsolt Anger) — supporting

  A determined detective arriving in provincial Hungary who becomes increasingly obsessed with uncovering the truth behind the murders.

• Ági (played by Dóra Sztarenki) — minor
• Patai Erzsébet (played by Anna Mészöly) — minor

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Bóta nyomozó → Ági (Professional Investigator And Survivor) — Ági's survival supplies evidence relevant to the investigation led by the police team.

  Ági survives an attack and provides a fragmentary description of the assailant, while Bóta nyomozó is assigned with other investigators to catch the a...

• Bóta nyomozó → Patai Erzsébet (Professional Case Investigator And Victim) — Patai Erzsébet's murder becomes part of the investigative pattern examined by Bóta nyomozó and the authorities.

  Bóta nyomozó is among the investigators ordered to catch the attacker, and the investigation compares the newer assaults with the murder of Patai Erzs...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Réti Ákos → Ági (Unknown Possible Attacker And Survivor) — The plot raises a possible connection but does not establish that Réti Ákos attacked Ági.

  Ági describes a shorter, strongly built man wearing a black beret, while the investigation questions whether the newer attacks are connected to Réti Á...

• Ági → Patai Erzsébet (Narrative Linked Victims) — The two women are connected through a suspected pattern of sexually motivated attacks.

  Ági's attack revives doubts about Patai Erzsébet's old murder, and another assault is described as similar to the earlier crime.

• Réti Ákos → Bóta nyomozó (Conflict Investigative Adversaries) — Their relationship is defined by the investigation's effort to connect the old conviction with the later attacks.

  Bóta nyomozó and other investigators are ordered to catch the attacker, while Réti Ákos remains connected to the earlier murder case under renewed sus...

• Réti Ákos → Patai Erzsébet (Conflict Accused Killer And Victim) — Their connection forms the original murder case and the film's central source of doubt.

  Réti Ákos is investigated, pressured into a changing confession, and convicted for the rape and murder of Patai Erzsébet.

Story Analysis

A disputed murder conviction is reopened when later attacks reveal a possible pattern that the authorities resist acknowledging.

Plot Progression

1. The Conviction Takes Shape — A murder investigation turns toward Réti Ákos. His pressured questioning, changing confession, and disputed physical evidence lead to a conviction despite contradictions.
2. A Crime Reawakens — Years later, Ági survives a violent attack and describes a possible assailant. A similar assault revives public and investigative doubts about the old case.
3. Evidence Against The Verdict — The investigation compares the new attacks with Patai Erzsébet's murder. Ignored testimony, unverified timing, and institutional pressure expose weaknesses in Réti's conviction.
4. Fear Without Closure — Further attacks intensify fear while authorities deny the existence of serial killers. A repeated strangulation pattern undermines the official story, but no attacker is conclusively identified.