Pepe si Fifi (1994) User Reviews (4)

in-between the ages of Romanian cinema

[dromasca · 8/10 · 16 June 2010]

I am surprised how little known this film is. Although it was made by Dan Pita, one of the well-known Romanian directors, and one of the few who made quality films during the Romanian Communist era, it does not seem to be considered as one of his best films. There is little information about the film on the Internet, and even the IMDb entry tells almost nothing. I saw it by chance on one of the Romanian satellite TV stations, and it was from many points of view a revelation.

The film is made in 1994, and is set at that time of 'transition' a wild process of awakening and confusion the whole Romanian society went through. The Bucharest I knew (having left Romania ten years earlier) was almost gone, streets filled not only with all kinds of dubious street commerce stands, but people also running awoke and fighting to survive in a world of confusion where old rules do not exists any longer and new ones are yet to be written. The trio of young people who are the heroes of the film learn to live and survive in this strange world. They may be the unwanted 'children of the decree' which was forbidding abortions in Communist Romania, they may be among the ones who took the streets in 1989 to overturn the dictatorship. Now brothers Pepe (Cristian Iacob - kind of a Romanian version of Brad Pitt) and Fifi (Irina Movila - with beautiful eyes of Tautou intensity) must sustain the family by boxing or becoming a night bird, both getting involved with the underground new Mafia world, both trying to keep their innocence in a world that has forgotten the meaning of the word. The third hero of the triangle is the crippled friend played by Mihai Calin, the fixer of the life of the other who cannot fix his own life, the shouter of truth with the megaphone on the streets of the city.

In the Romanian cinema space this film may be lost some place in between the pre-89 and post-89 generation. Truth is that none of the well-known directors of the pre-89 generation - neither Pita, but also not other like Daneliuc or even Pintilie did not succeed to make any great films after 1990. They did however pave the way to the successes of the 'new wave' - the minimalist (as some call it) Romanian neo-realism that conquered the festival scenes after 2003. This film has however qualities that stand by themselves. The trio of young actors give emotional performances and make us care about themselves. The reality that is being caught on screen is a snapshot of the 1994 Bucharest the way it was. There is little ballast from the old-style metaphoric and mannerist cinema, but also some strong metaphors that are hard to forget. By the end of the film the two surviving heroes run through a a dark and enclosed labyrinth with no way out in view. Somehow they find the exit, and they run out in the fresh air, just to freeze in disorientation, blinded by the light of a world they do not know how to cope with.

Being a Romainian is a hard job

[vicentiu17 · 23 November 2005]

Being a Romainian is a hard job. Especially in the first years after the fall of the Communist regime, people had to learn freedom. The failure of a new democratic political structure led to disorientation. Dan Pita offers a pretty accurate image of what happened in the first years of the 90's. Cheating, illegal business, prostitution, gambling, poverty and suffering are all part of this. The reality is depressing and refutes hope and dignity.

Politics and demagogic speech and acting are involved in this story as well. There are some really good moments in this film that sum up all the vices of the society. The best of them is the scene at the underground station, where Fifi has a chat with the junkie. He tells her:"You'd rather take care of your own life. Be careful about the way you live, because you might regret it later."

exorcism

[Kirpianuscus · 17 June 2016]

like many Romanians films from the first years of democracy. a form of exorcism. reflection of every day reality. cruel, brutal, portrait of social evil, using the confrontation between innocence and ambiguous corruption, few beautiful scenes and great performances. the clichés, the fury, the dialogues with status of declarations are not easy to understand today. but , like many others Romanians movies, before and after 1989 year, Pepe si Fifi has image of a period. testimony more than art. the desire to impress and confess and define the original sin of a sick society is the mark who impose the tone, the rhythm and the dark perspective. it could be defined as trend. but it represents little more. a form of self definition, vulgar, desperate, depressing in the ''90's but present, at the different level, today. as a kind of manifesto and exercise to change social situation.

Deep impurity

[Vincentiu · 22 April 2007]

Violent, cruel and form of past exorcism. An instinctual Romania of ambiguous transition to democracy, a strange mixture between purity, illusions and instincts, a society of Hieronymus Bosch atmosphere and cupidity, rape and basic desire, exploration of exotic illness and refuge in a empty fight .Story of three young people- victims of a grotesque existence in which money, compromises, lies and masks are elements of perverse normality.

Aspects after the end of Comunist nightmare. Fear an quixotic resistance, human-rats , brutal power and man as object in a chaotic economy. The fever of possession in shocking scenes,a world without soul and aspects of social trash. Freedom like exercise of fear, exotic experiment and falling of values.

Like many Romanian films, it is a cry. "Hotel de Lux", "Patul Conjugal", "Senatorul Melcilor", "Terminus Paradis" or "Prea Tarziu", "Occident" or "A fost sau n- a fost" are exploration of insidious social evil, reflections of a barbarian universe in which hopes, illusions or gestures are conventions.

At first, this dangerous exercise was part of self-flagellation. Then- description of a profound crisis and deep impurity.

In this case, important is the casting .Irina Movila,Cristi Iacob, Mihai Calin, Costel Constantin, Damian Crasmaru are authors of a strange world and its expression with a superb art to present the Romanian realities like projection of powerful angst.

A form of catharsis and testimony of national guilt. A film about a nook of East Europe and its traumas, about the passing of images and feelings, a piece of autism, in fact.