This is one of the most unique historical films I've ever seen. It's set in 1835 in the Romanian principality of Wallachia approximately 25 years before Romania became an independent nation.
Of what I can garner from what I've read along with watching the film, Wallachia was under Russian military rule at the time with the ruling classes divided between the Ottoman Turks and Boyars (noblemen) of Greek origin.
The story is a simple one: Local constable Costandin (Teodor Corban) and his son Ionita (Mihai Comanoiu) are hired as bounty hunters to bring back an escaped slave, Carfin (Toma Cuzin) who belongs to Boyar Iordache Cîndescu (Alexandru Dabija).
Carfin has allegedly stolen money from his master, but we find out later that's not why he escaped.
The dialogue is based on historical records so realistic that a couple of native Romanian internet posters claimed they could not understand approximately 30% of the archaic expressions used in the film.
The narrative is an incredible and shocking peek at what life was like in early 19th century Romania. It is akin to accounts of slavery in the antebellum south prior to the US civil war.
The racism of the period is depicted as unrelenting. Enslaved gypsies (Romani people) are constantly referred to as "crows" by both Romanian peasants and foreign nobility due to their darker complexion.
The dialogue can be described as constantly crude with allusions to sex in almost every scene.
Early on we're struck by the venality of the religious overseers-the monks and the priests-who own Romani people themselves and treat them with the utmost contempt. Beatings are commonplace, doled out by even priests without hesitation.
There's a great scene in which the constable and his son help a priest fix his broken wagon wheel out in the countryside. The priest is prejudiced as they come, reserving his greatest contempt for Jewish people, reiterating the great antisemitic canard of ritual child murder.
The priest also whips off a list of venal characteristics of many nationalities which prove to be darkly comic.
Costandin is a fully fleshed out character with his aphorisms reflecting a fatalistic view of life. During a campfire with his son, he becomes overly emotional about the ephemeral nature of life, comparing humans to embers in the flames before them.
By the standards of those times, Constandin would probably be considered a balanced and fair-minded person. He insists on upholding the law despite its implicit limitations.
The plot brings us to Carfin's capture who begs Constandin not to return him to his master fearing that he will be killed. Constandin also takes another escaped slave into custody, a young boy, who he ends up having no compunctions about selling to a priest at a local fair.
Carfin turns out to be more worldly than his captors, relating stories of trips to the great cities of Europe with a former slave owner. The real reason finally is revealed why the local boyar wants him back: he was seduced by the nobleman's wife.
Costandin finds Carfin's story amusing but fails to anticipate the tragic consequences.
On the way back, Costandin dismisses his son's request to let Carfin go after arguing that he could not help himself after being seduced.
The fair-minded Costandin assures Carfin that he'll put in a good word for him with the boyar and tries to reassure the now captured slave that he'll probably receive a beating but not killed.
After they arrive back in town, Costandin extracts a confession from the wife that she seduced the slave.
After being paid, Costandin attempts to put in a "good word" with the nobleman who mocks him and tells him to say no more if he values his job.
The denouement is devastating with the boyar castrating Carfin in front of his family and slaves. Costandin makes a weak attempt to stop the cruel petty tyrant but is beaten and threatened with loss of his job again.
Unlike some American movies, there are no melodramatic villains here. The entire society is shown to be cruel and vacuous, showing things just the way, they were.
Even Costandin and Ionita remain unaffected by Carfin's horrendous fate. They simply take things in stride, accepting the reality of the kind of society they live in.
The origin of the word Aferim! Is Turkish, meaning "bravo." It's used wholly ironically as every time the Romanians speak contemptuously of Romani people, they are rewarded with this approbative comment.
Shot in black and white, some posters would have preferred color. I don't know whether it was a budget issue or an attempt to capture the time period.
Aferim! Features great acting and an impressive recreation of a history most filmgoers will probably be unfamiliar with.
Of what I can garner from what I've read along with watching the film, Wallachia was under Russian military rule at the time with the ruling classes divided between the Ottoman Turks and Boyars (noblemen) of Greek origin.
The story is a simple one: Local constable Costandin (Teodor Corban) and his son Ionita (Mihai Comanoiu) are hired as bounty hunters to bring back an escaped slave, Carfin (Toma Cuzin) who belongs to Boyar Iordache Cîndescu (Alexandru Dabija).
Carfin has allegedly stolen money from his master, but we find out later that's not why he escaped.
The dialogue is based on historical records so realistic that a couple of native Romanian internet posters claimed they could not understand approximately 30% of the archaic expressions used in the film.
The narrative is an incredible and shocking peek at what life was like in early 19th century Romania. It is akin to accounts of slavery in the antebellum south prior to the US civil war.
The racism of the period is depicted as unrelenting. Enslaved gypsies (Romani people) are constantly referred to as "crows" by both Romanian peasants and foreign nobility due to their darker complexion.
The dialogue can be described as constantly crude with allusions to sex in almost every scene.
Early on we're struck by the venality of the religious overseers-the monks and the priests-who own Romani people themselves and treat them with the utmost contempt. Beatings are commonplace, doled out by even priests without hesitation.
There's a great scene in which the constable and his son help a priest fix his broken wagon wheel out in the countryside. The priest is prejudiced as they come, reserving his greatest contempt for Jewish people, reiterating the great antisemitic canard of ritual child murder.
The priest also whips off a list of venal characteristics of many nationalities which prove to be darkly comic.
Costandin is a fully fleshed out character with his aphorisms reflecting a fatalistic view of life. During a campfire with his son, he becomes overly emotional about the ephemeral nature of life, comparing humans to embers in the flames before them.
By the standards of those times, Constandin would probably be considered a balanced and fair-minded person. He insists on upholding the law despite its implicit limitations.
The plot brings us to Carfin's capture who begs Constandin not to return him to his master fearing that he will be killed. Constandin also takes another escaped slave into custody, a young boy, who he ends up having no compunctions about selling to a priest at a local fair.
Carfin turns out to be more worldly than his captors, relating stories of trips to the great cities of Europe with a former slave owner. The real reason finally is revealed why the local boyar wants him back: he was seduced by the nobleman's wife.
Costandin finds Carfin's story amusing but fails to anticipate the tragic consequences.
On the way back, Costandin dismisses his son's request to let Carfin go after arguing that he could not help himself after being seduced.
The fair-minded Costandin assures Carfin that he'll put in a good word for him with the boyar and tries to reassure the now captured slave that he'll probably receive a beating but not killed.
After they arrive back in town, Costandin extracts a confession from the wife that she seduced the slave.
After being paid, Costandin attempts to put in a "good word" with the nobleman who mocks him and tells him to say no more if he values his job.
The denouement is devastating with the boyar castrating Carfin in front of his family and slaves. Costandin makes a weak attempt to stop the cruel petty tyrant but is beaten and threatened with loss of his job again.
Unlike some American movies, there are no melodramatic villains here. The entire society is shown to be cruel and vacuous, showing things just the way, they were.
Even Costandin and Ionita remain unaffected by Carfin's horrendous fate. They simply take things in stride, accepting the reality of the kind of society they live in.
The origin of the word Aferim! Is Turkish, meaning "bravo." It's used wholly ironically as every time the Romanians speak contemptuously of Romani people, they are rewarded with this approbative comment.
Shot in black and white, some posters would have preferred color. I don't know whether it was a budget issue or an attempt to capture the time period.
Aferim! Features great acting and an impressive recreation of a history most filmgoers will probably be unfamiliar with.