Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World

Absolute film. This stunning protagonist takes us to inside the car and also into the reality of the romenian proletariat. Her daily vlogs as a man character on social media's make criticism uncomfortably funny.

Flashes of "Angela goes on" sometimes fit perfectly with romenians women's nowadays issues, especially as a car driver. On the other hand, at other times, it highlights the aberrant contrast behind different eras: "it's later than you think".

Personally, as a third world citizen, this universal theme brought up by the film touches me deeply. Government corruption, nonsense ideological fanaticism among people, and our impotence in the face of all of this.

Uncomfortable until the end and necessary.

DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD (2024). Radu Jude's caustic ramble about the state of mind of the Romanian public. Jude's film is intentionally messy and, seemingly, disorganized, but the filmmaker has a lot on his mind.

The main protagonist is Angela Raducani (Ilinca Manolache; quite remarkable) a production assistant on a safety video being produced locally for an Austrian client. She's required to drive around all over the area, seemingly the only P. A. on the production. She interviews accident victims who are 'auditioning' to be the spokesperson for the industrial short. Jude intersperses extended clips from a 1981 Romanian film (ANGELA MOVES ON) about a taxi driver also named Angela. Jude sets up the contrast by saying his film is in 'conversation' with the earlier one. The two Angelas meet when the P. A is doing her vetting interviews. The older Angela is played by the same actress from the earlier film (Dorina Lazar).

Jude uses various film and digital techniques (including aspect ratio) throughout. Slow motion, freeze frames and other tricks of the trade. Angela blows off steam by adopting a male alter ego - Bobita that she posts on social media, complete with cellphone camera filters. "Bobita" is an extreme misogynist in the Andrew Tate mold spouting the most vile rants imaginable. The movie is leisurely paced, but never dull. One fun side story involves Director Uwe Boll (playing himself) who is in town shooting a low budget sci-fi flick; Boll is introduced thusly: "He beats people up!"

Jude's themes coalesce, more or less, in the final hour. The great German actress Nina Hoss (TAR, PHOENIX) arrives in Bucharest playing the Austrian producer, Doris Goethe. Angela picks her up and drives her to a hotel. The next day is the shoot which Jude films as a remarkable 40 minute single take. The victim's family (including the now elderly taxi driver Angela) is placed at the scene of his unfortunate accident on a dreary, rainy afternoon. Of course, the company responsible doesn't really want to hear from the man (Ovidiu Pirsan) as much as spread their propaganda using the 'victims' as human props. As the family sit in a dank alley in a light rain, they are told what to say and do over the phone by Doris as she sits comfortably in her well apportioned hotel.

Jude is fully committed to his vision of Romania as a sad sack society. There's a mention of road so dangerous that citizens have put up crosses for those that have perished because of the government's indifference (it's a long montage). The nation is now 'free' from the Iron Curtain, but, it's leaders, including the much reviled Nicolae Ceausescu, have left deep wounds in the Romanian psyche. Being an EU member has only magnified the country's status on the lowest rung of that ladder. The two Angelas may represent two different generations, but, are their circumstance that much different? They each believe the "End of the World" is happening - and don't expect it to be a happy one.

DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD is currently streaming on Mubi and is available for rental.

After deducting one star for over-the-top vulgarity, much of that from protagonist Angela's TikTok alter ego Bobita; and one more star for being way too long; this left eight stars to work with, and the film earned them all. My first impression of Angela was dim, but she was just a tough, bright cookie doing her own thing - mostly driving, apparently -- in rough circumstances. Terrific acting.

Can't say how well the "movie within a movie" device worked. I understand it was to provide both contrast and context, but after awhile it became intrusive and repetitive, like prolonged scenes of Angela's gum-chewing during relentless drives, and a wholly gratuitous sequence of highway fatality crosses. The scene at the end filming Ovidiu and his family is especially sharp, with quite a few lessons hidden in there.

Not exactly sure why, but the film overall reminded me of Fellini's Nights of Cabiria ... not for any obvious reasons, but a similar tone.

The ending was abrupt but appropriate and satisfying. Closing credits are wacky, not something I often see. Major credit too goes to whomever did the English subtitles: they were spot-on, very nuanced.

Not too sure about how it makes Bucharest look, though.

Angela is a movie Production Assistant in Bucharest, overworked and underpaid. Romanians seem to be suffering from inflation, blamed on the Ukrainian war. In this story, she is part of the team shooting a workplace safety video for a multinational compamy.

In day 1, she is frantically racing around (on streets where the other drivers are crazy), interviewing injured workers who are potential subjects, doing other errands, and squeezing in some personal time as well. This part is shot in black and white, to distinguish it from the color sequences, which illustrate the back story of some of the characters of the day, and also her alter ego, a sex-obsessed bald man. However, at 2-3/4 hours I find this extraneous, plus there is an overlong sequence of the crosses along a road memorializing traffic accident victims. Deduct one star for this "creativity".

For day 2 (before lunch break), the selected subject (and selected family members) are assembled at the site of the accident for the shoot. Contrasting with the previous day, this is basically a fixed camera situation, assuming that this is the camera that is shooting the actual corporate video. Complications happen, including the "big boss" demanding his own creative idea - not prevously expressed.

The film is a moderately interesting slice of life in Romania, and it is up to the viewer as to whether the creative touches add (according to some critics) or subtract (according to me) to its enjoyment.

Radu Jude's Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World is a blistering indictment of modern capitalism, disguised as a workplace comedy. The film follows an overworked production assistant tasked with creating a safety video for a multinational corporation, only to have the project derailed by a whistleblower's exposé.

What follows is a chaotic, darkly humorous descent into the heart of corporate greed and societal indifference. Jude's film is a masterclass in satire, using absurd situations and deadpan delivery to expose the systemic failures that underpin our world. The pacing is relentless, mirroring the frenetic pace of modern life, and the performances are uniformly excellent.

While the film's runtime is lengthy, it never feels indulgent. Every scene serves a purpose, contributing to the overall message. It's a challenging watch, but a deeply rewarding one. Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World is essential viewing for anyone interested in exploring the complexities of contemporary society.