The Romanian/German copduction is produced by Ada Solomon for Hi Film and Komplizen Film with the support of the Romanian CNC and the Media Programme.

Inspired by Romanian author Max Blecher’s namesake novel, Jude tells the story of a young man’s agony across several episodes. Set in 1937, Emanuel, in his early 20s, spends his days at a sanatorium at the Black Sea coast, suffering from bone tuberculosis. Falling in love with another patient, he narrates his and his fellow patients’ attempts to live life to the fullest as their bodies slowly wither but their minds refuse to give in. Blecher wrote the text, hailed as a masterpiece upon publication in Romania in1939, as autobiographical notes before dying at age 29 following ten years of suffering.

Solomon said, “What is fascinating in this piece (both the original novel and Radu’s film project) is the poetical way of describing a painful experience of a young man, the whole emotional situation of this group of young people, getting ready for life’s final encounter, but at the same time so in love (or even more than normal people) with life, so caring about their future and living the momentum at maximum intensity. The charm of the film comes also from the triple layer cage the characters of the story are living in: caged in their plaster corsets, caged in their sickness, caged in the sanatorium, but still breaking free with force and sufferance.” 

Beta Cinema’s Thorsten Ritter said, “We are very excited about this renewed collaboration. Radu’s filmmaking skills will complement the literary works of Max Blecher and make this another unforgettable cinematic experience.”