User Reviews

A daring yet brilliantly crafted cinematic portrait that takes a critical look at Romanian society, political evolution, and how these forces have shaped the people. Radu Jude holds an unflinching mirror up to the deceitful, hypocritical world of Romania’s capital-city elite, refusing to let any taboos hold him back. The film is structured in three parts; the first presents a picture of Bucharest—scarred by years of dictatorship—that borders on being tedious and slow-paced. Yet, by the second part, Jude’s true intent becomes clear: to unmask prevailing moral attitudes, the clinging to the past, and the open denial of political arbitrariness. The film’s actual narrative—provocative though it may be in its frankness—is ultimately of secondary importance. It is a masterfully staged critique of society that speaks not only to contemporary Romania but surely to many other societies as well.

The hilarity of its satirical premise is more than adequate, although its vigor becomes a bit tiresome when the idea stalls until it reaches the point where absurdity becomes present. There are many ideologies and thematic approaches, but not everything has a sense of being and we do touch a lot on the area of exaggeration, but I think the project makes it very clear from the beginning that its vision is unapologetic and that is appreciated. But how much of an impression does this film leave once it's finished? I'm unable to say, let alone with certainty. Its critique of such puritanical hypocrisy is not new, but its concept works within the context in which it was filmed and explored. Ultimately, I think its viability will be best served by accepting it merely as a product of its time and situation. And there's nothing wrong with that.

In its second part a collage of interesting observations and ideas, framed by two parts of a female's walk through a day and an unbelievable inquisition, playfully satirized.

Wow -- this one is so out there that it's almost impossible to know how to describe it, suffice it to say that this bold, courageous Romanian offering from director Radu Jude covers a lot of ground in less than two hours. Told in three parts and an epilogue, the film follows the saga of a school teacher who makes an amateur sex tape with her husband that somehow gets leaked to the internet when the couple's computer is in the repair shop, creating a scandal that threatens her job and reputation. She comes under tremendous scrutiny from the school and the parents of its students, forcing her to defend herself amidst a flurry of criticism. But, as much of the film shows, that criticism is rooted in a plethora of hypocritical, prejudicial and ignorant attitudes, issues on which the filmmaker shines an incredibly luminous light, both on Romanian nationals and citizens of the world at large. Regrettably, the impact of the director's satire is a little slow in coming during the film's first two segments, both of which include some odd camera work and diverse styles of storytelling that don't mesh well, prompting viewers to wonder what exactly he's going for here. Thankfully, however, this becomes more than apparent -- in all its brilliance and ugliness -- in the picture's bitingly funny third sequence and utterly hilarious coda. This could thus be characterized as an offering that delivers a little too little a little too late, but what a delivery! Had the entire production been as consistently on target as its concluding segment, this would have been quite an insightful eyeful. But, as it stands, this is more of a valiant last-minute rescue effort that's likely to leave most audience members lamenting "if only...". Sensitive viewers should be aware that this offering contains extremely explicit sexual content and pervasive offensive language, much of it quite laugh-inducing, but certainly nothing that would make for suitable screening at a genteel afternoon garden party. Indeed, who knew that sexuality could be so controversial -- or funny.