Netzer is one of the leading figures of the Romanian New Wave and Child’s Pose is his third film after scoring festival successes with both his earlier films Maria and Medal of Honour.
But Child’s Pose, a title originally taken from a yoga position according to the director, takes Netzer to another level. Central to the film’s success is a brilliant performance by Romanian actress Luminita Gheorghiu who plays Cornelia the main character in the film. Cornelia is determined to protect her adult son as well as control him. Gheorghiu will be familiar to any fan of the Romanian New Wave for her many roles, especially that of the mother in Cristian Mungiu’s 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.
Cornelia is a middle-aged woman, a member of the Romanian upper middle class and her manipulative relationship with her son has created a dysfunctional family. Then one evening her son Barbu, played by Bogdan Dumitrache, kills a child in a car accident. Barbu was speeding and he arrested and faces a prison sentence.
But Cornelia is ready to do anything to save her son and she swings into action ready to dish out bribes, uses her old network of contacts and indulge in any form of corruption to get Barbu off the hook. The result is a meander through Romanian society that hovers between comedy and tragedy in what the director Netzer describes as a psycho-drama.
Netzer said speaking at the press conference that the script was inspired by discussions that he had with script writer Razvan Radulescu who he co-wrote the script with about his relationship with his own mother. The result is a sparely written drama that looks at the contemporary Romanian society and a tour de force performance by Gheorghiu who deserves a Golden Bear for this domineering mother.
Speaking at the press conference Gheorghiu says that Cornelia is a victim of her own unconditional love for her son. The tension has built up between mother and son and it’s clear that Cornelia has no control over her drive to help Barbu whether he wants to be saved by her or not. While the film portrays Romanian women as exceptionally strong and Gheorghiu said she felt this was not only in Romania.
She said: “Yes we do have strong women in Romania. It starts with giving birth, then building up the family. Unconditional love, loving whether or not you receive anything in return, this can also work against you. You have to control it.”
The film is shot in a documentary style with two moving cameras and the director said that from the beginning he wanted an objective and minimalist style. “From the beginning we decided to edit out as much as possible to keep the film spare and compact.”
The result is a film that is totally assured and delivers on all fronts.
Director: Calin Peter Netzer
Romania 2012
Cast: Luminita Gheorghiu, Bogdan Dumitrache, Florin Zamfirescu
Production: Parada Film
Supported by Romanian CNC
