An unnerving take on love and the freedom of will, mistakes made in the name of religion, as well as irrationality and fear in Europe's dark heart.
Alina and Voichita, two young women, who knew each other in the grim orphanage where they were brought up, meet again after a lapse of several years. Alina has returned to bring Voichita back to Germany with her. She has not been feeling well lately and very much wishes that her friend would become part of her life again. But Voichita was taken in at a stern monastery in the Romanian countryside and compelled to be a nun. The convent priests forbid her from leaving even for a short while in order to help her friend, and Voichita decides to repent. Alina is shocked. She makes every endeavour to “save” her friend, and the Church representatives want to deliver Alina from the evil that is inside her. The film is based on non-fictional novels by Tatiana Niculescu Bran about the notorious present-day ecclesiastic practice of exorcism with sacrificial victims.
»I preserved the spirit of the books, in that I wasn’t judgemental and didn’t try to identify the guilty parties – but I applied this principle to a fictional story in which I felt free to add layers of meaning that the real story didn’t have for me. It still speaks about guilt but is more concerned with love and choices, with the things people do in the name of their beliefs, the difficulty of telling good from bad, understanding religion literally, indifference as an even greater sin than intolerance and freedom of will.«
- Cristian Mungiu
Cristian Mungiu
Born in 1968 in Romania. After studying English literature he worked for a few years as a teacher and journalist. He then obtained a BA in film directing in Bucharest. Mungiu first made several short films, and in 2002 debuted with his first feature film, Occident, which won several international awards. In 2007 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days won the coveted Palme d’Or, marking the first time that prize was awarded to a Romanian filmmaker.
filmography
2002 Occident
2005 Lost and Found (omnibus)
2007 4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days)
2009 Amintiri din epoca de aur (Tales from the Golden Age) (omnibus)
2012 Dupa dealuri (Beyond the Hills)