Between Pain and Amen

Sadly, this is a film about a violent period in Romanian history when the elites were decimated and an entire country was taken over by a totalitarian pro-Soviet regime. It's a story about how a peaceful, in full development country, is violently stolen by brute force, its best people are tortured and killed, where the terror is spread over night, where human rights, real laws and humanity are no more existent. However, the movie is an artistic movie, not a documentary. It's reasonably violent, with violence more suggested than displayed which adds a lot to the balance and philosophy of the film. It's not a hard to watch movie - but it's hard to digest the outrageous history that - beware - you feel that it can repeat in any other country, anytime, in a very short amount of time; and also gives you the fear that your own self is not so far from bestiality, should the circumstances be different. The movie is a must see and is sublime in what it transmits. I have appreciated that, after developing the dark subject, the film is able to make you leave the cinema smiling.. crying, probably, but smiling. Iasi, Ateneu, 16 nov 2019.