Gheorghe Dinica, Radu Beligan, Coca Bloos, Ioana Ana Macaria, Dorina Chiriac

Synopsis:

A former political prisoner accompanies a journalist on an interview with Frant Tandara, parricide and torturer in the Communist jails from the tender age of 16. Today, Tandara is a ‘peaceful' bee keeper and he wants to reveal his terrible secrets. He is the only jailer from the Ceausescu regime's service willing to openly confess his crimes. A story on the ‘banality of evil' and the inhumane atrocity of man.

“Not a single frame is dedicated to representing torture itself. Instead of seeking out unbearable images, Pintilie constructs an apologia that, in its lucid pessimism, is almost intolerable.” (Leonardo Gandini, Cineforum, no. 409, November 2001, pg 18)

“It is a film about Romanians' complete inability to repent and to confess. In a country where the concept of repentance is held in contempt on a national level, a character such as Tandara is regarded as a lunatic. (Of course, because he lives in Romania , Tandara is a bit of a madman.)

‘Come on', I told them, ‘let's confess' ‘– And what did they answer?' ‘Oi! Are you crazy or what? What, I'm a loon like you? I got children to raise' they said, ‘you want me to make my children go away?'; ‘Sod it' says another, ‘the tables are gonna turn and the communists will be back'. This one's got a pig farm. ‘What? You mean we didn't lead the good life during communist times?'. ” (Lucian Pintilie)

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