naikon2004-1

*** SPOILER ALERT *** - The review contains spoilers, as details from the film are important to the rating.

This movie brilliantly shows the Romanian society from the perspective of the social activists that are currently (2018) protesting against the establishment. It shows them as snub, elitists, that can't use their intellect to reason with people below their intelligence level. This is best portrayed in the scene where Mariana is approached by two senior citizens holding umbrellas that are outraged by being mixed with gypsies during the reenactment rehearsals, an obviously blatant racist remark. What the outraged Mariana does is that she quotes a book from a philosopher/historian on the subject, disregarding the fact that the seniors obviously have no idea what she's talking about. She made her point that she is superior and, you know, reads books, and that they are very well below her intellect, and that's about it. The movie also portrays average Romanians as being cold-hearted, stupid (uneducated), greedy, and savage. The scene where they all applaud the burning of the Jews comes to mind.

There are other elements of progressivism that are exaggerated, but in my opinion necessary in the current debate landscape of Romania. For instance, the fact that Marian is pregnant from having an affair with a married man and debating whether or not to have an abortion, that at the dinner party the only couple that is engaging in public display of affection is the lesbian couple, the nudity of Mariana's partner that tries to counter the prudery of the Romanian society, and so forth.

Art has to makes us think, and has to make us talk. I like the fact that the character is trying to bring forth a subject that is unpopular, a dark part of the Romanian history - r.e. the mass extermination and deportation of Jews by the Romanian army lead by Marshal Antonescu. But it does so in a long, snail-paced endeavor of putting on a reenactment show that is financed by taxpayer money. And this is another problem that the movies brings forth, that art and activism are ultimately financed by public taxpayer money, instead of individual patrons. Most musical acts in Romania for instance rely on money from city halls and city councils to organize public events, and not from selling tickets to concerts, because then they couldn't make a living. This leads to a decline in both the quality of the art and the education and exposure to art by the public, simultaneously.

Overall the film is ambitious, militant and very necessary in the Romanian art landscape, but long, slow-paced, over-acted and under-directed. It fails to achieve it's purpose, since it neither provides new perspective to the already cultivated audience except for a few historical facts and dates nor is it so accessible that it enlightens the collective mentality of the average Romanian.

*** SPOILER ALERT *** - The review contains spoilers, as details from the film are important to the rating.

This movie brilliantly shows the Romanian society from the perspective of the social activists that are currently (2018) protesting against the establishment. It shows them as snub, elitists, that can't use their intellect to reason with people below their intelligence level. This is best portrayed in the scene where Mariana is approached by two senior citizens holding umbrellas that are outraged by being mixed with gypsies during the reenactment rehearsals, an obviously blatant racist remark. What the outraged Mariana does is that she quotes a book from a philosopher/historian on the subject, disregarding the fact that the seniors obviously have no idea what she's talking about. She made her point that she is superior and, you know, reads books, and that they are very well below her intellect, and that's about it. The movie also portrays average Romanians as being cold-hearted, stupid (uneducated), greedy, and savage. The scene where they all applaud the burning of the Jews comes to mind.

There are other elements of progressivism that are exaggerated, but in my opinion necessary in the current debate landscape of Romania. For instance, the fact that Marian is pregnant from having an affair with a married man and debating whether or not to have an abortion, that at the dinner party the only couple that is engaging in public display of affection is the lesbian couple, the nudity of Mariana's partner that tries to counter the prudery of the Romanian society, and so forth.

Art has to makes us think, and has to make us talk. I like the fact that the character is trying to bring forth a subject that is unpopular, a dark part of the Romanian history - r.e. the mass extermination and deportation of Jews by the Romanian army lead by Marshal Antonescu. But it does so in a long, snail-paced endeavor of putting on a reenactment show that is financed by taxpayer money. And this is another problem that the movies brings forth, that art and activism are ultimately financed by public taxpayer money, instead of individual patrons. Most musical acts in Romania for instance rely on money from city halls and city councils to organize public events, and not from selling tickets to concerts, because then they couldn't make a living. This leads to a decline in both the quality of the art and the education and exposure to art by the public, simultaneously.

Overall the film is ambitious, militant and very necessary in the Romanian art landscape, but long, slow-paced, over-acted and under-directed. It fails to achieve it's purpose, since it neither provides new perspective to the already cultivated audience except for a few historical facts and dates nor is it so accessible that it enlightens the collective mentality of the average Romanian.