ROMANIAN FILM FESTIVAL, 3rd edition
LONDON 2-5 FEBRUARY 2006
Review by Adina Mironovici-Tarry
The 3rd edition of the Romanian Film Festival has been hosted between 2-3 February 2006, by the Curzon Cinema in Mayfair. The event has delighted us yet again, meeting our high expectations, both from the choice of films and organisation points of view. Our thanks must go to the organisers: The Romanian Cultural Centre in London, The Ratiu Foundation UK, The National Centre of Cinematography in Bucharest, as well the many volunteers who have made this event a reality.
This is a rare and valued opportunity for the Romanian Diaspora in London to see Romanian films, which otherwise, are sadly and conspicuously absent from a wider distribution in the U.K.
The festival featured young directors of “The new Romanian cinema” and presented three feature films, seven short films and one feature length documentary, on the closing night.
To give a brief yet complete overview of such a rich event is rather challenging. However this may be achieved if one gives up the temptation of going into great detail about every single movie. This approach will hopefully work also because, for those who have been unable to attend, there is little chance to do it after the event - distribution in the U.K. has only been secured for one film “The death of Mr Lazarescu”, which has also been seen late last year at the London film festival - whereas for those who have seen them, brief references will make sense, trigger memories and contextualise thoughts.
On the other hand, one can do justice to all, by taking a personal view of the festival through comments on themes and overall qualities - with specific examples – which struck a chord.
Whilst one might argue, as people in fact have done, that Romanian movies are full of gloom and really heavy for the soul, my perception has been that, in spite of this undisputable seriousness, human hope and warmth have equally been a consistent dimension in almost every one of the feature films shown. My perception may also be influence by my personal opinion that art is not meant primarily to entertain, but rather stimulate thought, stir emotions and heightened intellectual as social awareness of the human condition. This is why, with some limitation, I do not object too much to films dealing with serious topics particularly when I can find a little glimmer of light and hope, no matter how faded, breaking though desolation and darkness.
In “The death of Mr Lazarescu” Director Cristi Puiu, the human touch and some compassion is ever present, even if distorted by the grind of a bleak daily life. The ambulance worker, throughout her journey of almost 12 hours, with her patient, from one hospital to another, never loses her temper, her compassion and her decency. She consistently regards Mr Lazarescu as a human being, trying to maintain his dignity and hope, as a duty of care. At times she “sticks her neck out” almost too far for her own good, yet relentlessly defends his best interest even when humiliated by the younger, more educated and more “powerful” hospital staff. This is because of her sense of responsibility and her determination to challenge the system, with Mr Lazarescu’s best interest at heart, which she does to the bitter end. Mr. Lazarescu’s neighbours may lack sophistication but are also decent and helpful and even if winging because of the inconvenience and being critical of Mr Lazarescu’s lifestyle, do not step away from providing some basic assistance from ad hoc medication to food, company, and phone calls that they make to relatives, until handing him over to the ambulance worker. The medical staff that Mr Lazarescu encounters during his meanderings thought the Romanian intensive care system, may be hardened and desensitised to human pain and suffering, on the surface, which may also be one extreme way of them dealing with stress, however they don not stop showing concern and sympathy, for the many victims of a recent and tragic road accident which has caused a lot of death and “clogged” the emergency system at the time when Mr Lazarscu has fallen ill. In spite of their apparent callousness, they do try to move Mr Lazarescu through the system in the right direction, as far as possible, often on the bases of that very human lubricant of the work relationships mechanics: “do me a favour and I’ll owe you one “
In “Ryna”, Director Ruxandra Zenide, whilst relationships between the family members are frozen under the drunken breath of the pater and master, and Ryna, his daughter, lives caught in a soulless mesh of people, each with their own shadows and agendas, there is tenderness and deep understanding between her and her grandfather, as well as the fresh, if ill formed, feeling of young love, between herself and the village postman. In the short film “Green Oaks”, Director Ruzandra Zenide, set in a remote orphanage, whilst the building and the resources are Spartan and the landscape stark, the human warmth is clearly not lacking in the staff members, who, to the best of their ability, do try to make the life of their wards, a bit homelier, by telling them stories, behaving responsibly and advising them on deciding things that may be beneficial in the long term. They show empathy and also offer their adult judgement, to get a better outcome for the children. In “Cigarettes and coffee”, Director Cristi Puiu, whilst the son is able to keep up with the new times and appears perhaps a bit short of patience for his old dad, he is nonetheless involved in his parents problems, trying to find a job for him and also financially contributing to pay his parents bills. In “Traffic”, Director Catalin Mitulescu, the clearly well to do businessman, who’s made it and drives his posh car on the way to a performance – but gets stuck in the traffic of a city in transition, representing a reality not on a par with and as well oiled as his own vehicle, his tin island, in a not yet congruent and developed society in making - he finds time to talk with his daughter and send her a funny picture of him pulling faces. Such snippets of humanity, solidarity and empathy are to be found in every movie, short or long, representing precisely some hope and decency, the very thing that most people, unlike me, deplore as lacking in Romanian movies.
Moving on to the movies as such, I was particularly taken by the short films as a genre, because, just like poetry, they require the artistry of perfect composition, within a restrained space, a good story told well, with a moral and feelings left lingering. Whilst all seven documentaries have met their demanding brief, I would comment specifically on a few, which have struck a personal cord.
“Green Oaks”, Director Ruxandra Zenide (34 minutes) the story of the adoption of a young girl, from an orphanage was particularly moving for exploring human love, sense of responsibility, tenderness and longing, as experienced by the main characters: the adopting mother who so much desires a child in her life and the brother of the little girl to be adopted, whom he initially refuses to let go of, as he feels compelled to take care of her himself, in spite of the world or grown ups, around them. The delicate but deep emotions were wonderfully conveyed by minimalist acting, script, and direction provided by the director Ruxandra Zenide.
“A lineman’s cabin”, Director Constantin Popescu (30 minutes) is another example of minimalist use of setting, script and acting, to convey so well the safety and reassurance of a simple, predictable, repetitive way of life, where human order is set and maintained almost like a natural cycle, within a remote settlement, in a stunning place, somewhere by the Black Sea. The incidental intrusion of the outside world symbolised by the stranded car, are to bring disruption and an end to the old way of life, by the accidental death of the local teacher. The atmosphere, mind set, confusion and transition of these two worlds, are brilliantly realised by the director Contstantin Popescu.
Finally, “Liviu’s Dream” by Corneliu Porumboiu (40 minutes) is an excellent representation of how so many deep and powerful intertwining themes (love, sex, new rich, black racketeering, corrupted authorities, young aspiration, economic migration) all combine in one moving, coherent story of a “lost” character, struggling to stay afloat, but not quite knowing which way is “north”, in the absence of a shore in sight, watching an unbroken horizon, and no way to know if there actually is something out there which he could possibly reach one day. The best he can do is “keep his chin above water” and tread it for as long as possible, hoping not to drown in this liquid and shifting universe.
The two full length feature films “Ryna”, Director Ruxandra Zenide and “The death of Mr Lazarescu”, director Cristi Puiu, are both outstanding even if different in many ways.
“The death of Mr Lazarescu” excels, in my view, along two main lines. One is the script, beautifully restrained and yet so rich in its subtext and what is not being said and so conducive to reflection and insight. The other is the acting, so subtle, that I had to pinch myself at times, to remind me that I was not watching a “live” situation, in real time. In addition, there is the succession of story boards, as perfect “tableaux” of composition, where even the smallest movement of the actors, and the tension and meaning created by that very spatial positioning, is quite extraordinary in its meaning.
“Ryna” on the other hand, is a story unfolding, again realised with limited resources of expression, yet deeply rooted in the life and inner worlds of this teen age girl, caught - without ever losing her innocence, extraordinary resilience and deep sense of her self - between contradictions of gender identity, technical and pragmatic but also creative aspirations and talent, desire for freedom and strong sense of duty towards her family, finally, shyness of emotion and yet freshness of feeling. All this is masterfully done by the rather accomplished “debutante” Dorotheea Petre. A special accolade for the only woman director present at the festival, and probably one of the few women directors in Romania and in the world today. We look forward to many more of your films.
The one feature length documentary “Children by decree” Director Florin Iepan, is dealing with that dark and still raw topic of compulsory natality quota decreed by the Ceausescu regime in 1966 and is understandably laden with deep meaning and emotions, due to its live outcome, human beings, who are adults in their 30’s today. As a generation, these people have had to come to terms with the conflicting reality that whilst this inhuman decree has enabled them to be alive today, it has also come at the cost of many lives of women and “imperfect” and abandoned babies who did not make it. The documentary is not only outstanding for having for the first time broached this almost taboo subject but also thought its research and use of the materials and the objective and professional way it has been constructed.
An overview of the themes across the festival highlights the fact that whilst they may have provided a unique and Romanian specific light to the subjects of the films, they have also portrayed transferable, universal values, meanings and truths.
The lower status of women due to politics and legislation, poverty, corruption or lack of opportunity, as one theme, the poverty and corruption as another, or the economic migration, as a third - to name a few- are without a doubt applicable to Romania and equally to any other country in the world, be it the UK, Asia or South America. Anywhere in the world where society is not perfect, which is to say…everywhere in the world!.
The women in the Romanian movies are portrayed as victims or gullible beings to be taken advantage by men, who are no where in sight when the going is tough. And yet, all these women, whilst “bearing it” to the limit of tolerance and to sacrifice (Ryna - who refuses to testify against the rapist village mayor, fully aware of financial penalties he can inflict on her father’s business) do reach a point, just before losing themselves completely, where they rebel and decide “no more”. They are strong women, fully able to turn around and turn their lives around, build and pursue their own destiny (the two sisters in “The Italian girls”, director Napoleon Helmis, who after escaping from sex slavery abroad, come back to their village to rebuild their home and also may take part in the political life of their village) taking fate in their own hand, building a future in their own right, rejecting unwelcome promises or assistance from the men who have so bitterly deceived or exploited them.
But women remain, world wide, that half of the population which continues to experience violence, exploitation and lack of opportunities, admittedly in some countries more than in others- Objects of summary trials and execution, or used as animated biological vessels to propagate the species at dictatorial command, or experiencing pay and privilege discrimination in the “Stockbroker’s Club”, victims of abuse of power and discrimination in how aid relief is distributed in poor countries (that is to say unfairly and not given to women) all these are examples across the spectrum, of the same sad and indeed common situation they experience in too many a country.
The economic migration is – world wide - a dream and a promise, with an unknown reality behind it, towards which people are driven out of a need for a more decent life and where they may or may not find money, success, and realisation, but towards which, like children driven by hope and suspended reason and disbelief, they gravitate. Migration becomes the only avenue they can see as an option forward, an almost suicidal leap ahead, come what may, yet still better than the hopelessness of their reality at home.
Trying to do justice to the festival without mentioning all features or contributors is hard, yet the brief is that this article should remain a review and not a dissertation!
To conclude, I would like to pay a personal tribute to all directors, actors and production specialists who have provided me, a psychologist and a writer but in this instance, mainly a passionate lover of cinema, with such a wonderful gift of artistry in one of the most demanding and also consequential art forms of modern times.
The world of arts and creation is not easy, rather trying most of the times, yet I urge you to keep up your dreams and continue producing great works for people such as myself, your “public out there”!
We could not feel better served and enhanced ourselves, without enjoying the lovely fruit of your spellbinding craft!
Copyright ©Adina Mironovici-Tarry
