Writer-director Radu Muntean’s latest feature, which premiered last year in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, follows three aid workers on a mission in rural Romania.
Things start off routinely enough, and never really veer from that route despite the detours the characters take, as a convoy of humanitarian vehicles sets out from Bucharest with aid packages destined for Romanians living in the farthest reaches of the land. We catch snippets of banter between Maria , Ilinca and Dan as they drive through the countryside, showing little interest in the locals they’re meant to be assisting.
Muntean constantly underlines the workers’ condescending attitude, showing how they’re more concerned by their love and sex lives than by the inhabitants they visit. This all changes when they go off-course after picking up Kente , an elderly local who seems forever lost and who winds up steering them straight into the mud. With no way to get their jeep out, they’re forced to rely on the country folk for assistance. Suddenly the roles are reversed and the volunteers seem utterly helpless.
If this were a horror movie, the team would be picked off one by one as they lost their way in the woods, and there are several moments whenhints at that kind of scenario. A good portion of the film is set in darkness — DP Tudor Vladimir Panduru manages to add texture to all the gloom — with the trio using flashlights or cell phones to see where they’re going.
, forcing the volunteers to decide whether they want to help him or leave him behind. Muntean slyly reveals the difference between a professionally organized humanitarian intervention and the reality of sacrificing your own comfort for someone in need, which can be a whole lot less glamorous, as evidenced in the film’s closing scenes.
By then, Maria, Ilinca and Dan have had a taste of what it’s like to be needy as well, subsisting on snacks leftover from their aid packages and building a fire in order to survive the night. Sadly — and Muntean seems to be stressing this point — it’s not clear they’re even capable of grasping the extreme irony of their situation, so much are they worried about saving their own skin.
Argentina Últimas Noticias, Argentina Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
SXSW Film Review: In the Court of the Crimson KingAn accessible, and funny look at one of the most precise bands in history, King Crimson. SXSW DGMHQ
Leer más »
SXSW Film Review: I Love My DadSXSW Grand Jury award winner starring pattonoswalt finds humor in an icky setup.
Leer más »
SXSW Film Review: Lover, BelovedSuzanne Vega (suzyv) hunts for Carson McCullers in this filmed stageplay at SXSW.
Leer más »
SXSW Film Review: Antonia Campbell-Hughes’ ‘It Is In Us All’The last few years have seen an uptick in the number of genre films directed by women, and it’s been interesting to see the impact of that on such a traditionally male-dominated field. Directed by …
Leer más »
Film Crew Recorded Illicit Pre-Insurrection Meeting Between Proud Boys and Oath Keepers: Court DocumentA documentary team picked up audio of attendees of the extremist meetup discussing the Capitol, per a new court filing.
Leer más »
‘Elvis’ to World Premiere at Cannes Film Festival“Elvis,” Baz Luhrmann’s drama of the rock-and-roll legend starring Austin Butler (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”) and Tom Hanks, will world premiere at the Cannes Fil…
Leer más »