Many thanks to Cinepub Romania for making this available, great stuff.
Does anyone set out to make a movie this good? For all the witty script and fiendish hard work, I wonder. Demian based this on real events of 1970, and it was shown at Cannes "Certain Regard" 1982. Did he ever make any other movies? According to David Stratton, he later moved to Australia. Very strange.
In a narrow sense, these are Ceausescu-era detectives hunting a small-town murderer. But it seems clear they won't get a conventional arrest or trial.
Like Forman in Fireman's Ball, Demian is taking the piss out of the regime, but in a controlled, deadpan and humanistic manner. The corrupt net of villagers is us, and we could be them. It's timeless.
Half the time, the action is seen through the lens of police investigative recordings, half the time it's not. The "staged" behaviour subverts the un-staged, and vice versa. As the shambolic probe wanders to and from the scenic murder spot, blurry images of the victim continue to mess with your mind.
Refreshingly short too, but Demian sticks the ending pretty well.
