Balaur

Tonight I saw Octav Chelaru's debut feature film, which is based on (or rather is inspired by) a real love story with a tragic ending, which happened some years ago, between a priest's wife and a high school student. The story ended with the suicide of the young man.

I won't narrate the movie here, just a few highlights.

The film has all the characteristics of the low-budget Romanian film, which relies a lot on the psychological mindset of the characters, in order to impress the audience! With all the good and the bad that derives from here!

The film has a good flow, it is not preaching anything and it's quite honest, not forcing the viewer towards limited interpretations.

I still don't know what to say about how believable the characters are presented. Maybe because of my familiarity with the setting, maybe because of the exceptionality of the story.

Dialogues are, most often, natural; sometimes slightly touched by hysteria, as in all Romanian films. Or maybe it's just my feeling...

All in all, it is not an anti-clerical film at all! On the contrary! Beyond some awkwardness, the church, the priesthood, the priest's family are approached very respectfully!

It's a film about wounded and unfulfilled eros, maybe also about a confused past of a woman, maybe incapable of happiness, maybe forced to live a life that didn't make her happy!

But more than that, I think it's about the devastating effect that migration and the lack of family love has on children and teenagers!

The conclusion drawn by me, let's call it "moral conclusion", is that man without love is nothing and tends towards self-destruction. The lack of love places the soul in an entropic desire, which, at best, destroys destinies, and at worst, puts the equal sign between life and death!

I say it's a movie worth seeing!

Well, a very complicated film by its message, its feelings, by what the characters think and do. Especially since I have always considered that in a relationship, and in an adultery, there are always two parties who are wrong, who cross certain thresholds and limits. Not only one of the parties is guilty, and when it comes to adultery there are actually several parties involved and even... guilty.

So we have: a rather honest and reclusive priest; a wife who is both the priest's wife and a religion teacher at a high school, quite knowledgeable and willing to discuss not only Orthodox morality, but also life issues; a very free high school student, because he comes from a school in Germany, who at the same time asks questions, but is also eager to change the order of things.

Until love or desire intervenes in this triangle. Or immaturity. So, "When does freedom become dangerous? When it gives birth to inner monsters?" And at the age of immaturity, any reaction is dangerous, because it is, first of all, ...immature. A very complicated film, as I said, to see and discuss.

A very well written and well made film. I only say well done and not perfect because it felt a bit too long. Maybe an extra dynamism would have made it much more attractive. But besides this, I can say that I really liked it. It managed to capture my attention and kept me in suspense till the end. Congratulations to the whole team!

I want to refer particularly on the actors. The two boys Florin (Voicu Dumitras) and especially Iuliu (Sergiu Smerea) are very good. They succeed in roles in which they are natural, deeply assumed, believable. They leave the impression in everything they do that there's a connection between them and the director, with the help of which he's been able to convey to them what he wants from them, and they feel comfortable with the lessons learned, so to speak. Good for them!

I don't want to end without mentioning the main actress: Mãlina Manovici, who practically carries all the burden of this film, plays an extraordinary role here that can be a good example for any acting student. And in her case, as with the boys, there is a good collaboration with the director, with whom she managed to create memorable moments. I just want to mention the scene in the principal's office which I really liked and which shows that you can write good dialogues that give the actors the opportunity to act something worth watching. Bravo, Gabriel Spahiu, Richard Bovnoczki and Mãlina Manovici!

Also, wonderful frame with the two doors and the crucifix between them. Bravo! I wonder if those two doors really exist or were specially made. Anyway, awesome.

I'll say now what I didn't like: I don't like the title and I don't think it helps the movie, on the contrary. It probably means something. I didn't understand what, but... well, that's the filmmakers' option. A lot of scenes that could be missing and so maybe it would have been a little more dynamic.

I can't say anything about the cinematography, editing, production design, nothing caught my eye because I was stolen by the story, so everything is fine.

What a pity that there are so few good films. This one is a drop in the ocean of bad Romanian films produced in recent years. Unfortunately, those movies have ruined the mood for cinema for the majority of Romanian viewers.

Congratulations, everyone!

For me, this film was about being honest with oneself. There are few people really alive in this world. The majority cling to to beliefs and rules for the wrong reasons, but not out of sincere yearning. We are able to sacrifice anything for these beliefs because we are very insecure and the search for the pure truth or the true self gives us headaches. The discussions at the dinner table were the most eloquent in this sense. There was laughter at these scenes, although they were certainly not intended for humor, but they created this reaction because they overlap some cultural stereotypes, which once you see them, you can't help but make fun of them. If you are the type who wants to learn a lesson after watching a film, I suspect that what remains with you after this film is that the sedimented frustrations due to customs, restrictions and hypocrisy can lead to very dark situations, most likely with many collateral victims. Zavatos.

The slow pace, deliberate classicism, and thematics of this debut film would easily serve as arguments for shipping it off as "another one of those East European dramas" that have been practically mass-produced in recent years. This would be to overlook the fact that Chelaru's feature film unmasks the patriarchal workings with astonishing maturity, often at the turn of a shot or a dialogue.

Passed under all the major radars, this story about the perilous relationship between a Religion teacher married to an Orthodox priest and one of her underage students certainly does not have the subversive charge of a Radu Jude, but can boast of a beautiful suspense where we can guess the influence of Michael Haneke.