The script penned by Cristian Mungiu follows Matthias, who returns before Christmas from working abroad to his native multi-ethnic mountain village in Transylvania. He is worried about the education his son Rudi has been receiving from his mother, Ana. He also needs to check on his old father Otto, and yearns to see his ex-lover Csilla again. He finds his boy and the village under the shadow of a strange irrational fear and unsettlement. When the factory that Csilla manages hires foreign workers, deep-rooted impulses and resentments emerge, conflicts and emotions erupt and the veneer of peace in the community is shattered.
“The film speaks about how we relate to others before knowing them, about our reactions in front of the unknown, about our primal fears and instincts, way more rooted in our brain than the recent thin layer of rationality and empathy, but it’s also about truth, about how subjective it has become lately, and about how rare we feel it is safe to express what we really believe”, Cristian Mungiu told FNE.
The film stars Marin Grigore and Judith State, and the cast includes Macrina Bârlădeanu, Orsolya Moldován, András Hatházi and Deák Zoltán, as well as non-professional actors.
Tudor Vladimir Panduru, who also lensed Mungiu’s Graduation / Bacalaureat, produced by Mobra Films, coproduced by Why Not Productions, Les Films du Fleuve, France 3 Cinéma, as well as Cristi Puiu’s Malmkrog, produced by Mandragora , iadasarecasa, SENSE Production, Cinnamon Films, Film iVäst, Doppelganger, Bord Cadre Films, Produkcija 2006 Sarajevo, Sisters and Brothers Mitevski, is the DoP.
Palme d’Or winner Cristian Mungiu produced the film through Mobra Films in coproduction with France’s Why Not Productions, Wild Bunch International, France 3 Cinéma and Le Pacte, Belgium’s Les Films du Fleuve and Sweden’s Filmgate Films and Film iV äst. The film was supported by the Romanian Film Centre (CNC), Canal+, France Télévisions, Ciné+ and Eurimages.
The budget was approximately 2.8 m EUR.
The film was shot under radar in November 2021 – January 2022, mainly in the village of Rimetea, in the Alba County, as well as in other villages across Transylvania.
“It was a very difficult film to make. We’ve shot during winter before, in the cold, outdoors, waiting for the snow and already too late to be ready for Cannes. Only that this time we needed to manage COVID-19 on top of everything, and a shooting with crowds, children, animals, and everything in long takes”, Mungiu also told FNE.
Wild Bunch International is handling the sales.
Cristian Mungiu has been in Cannes from the very beginning, when his debut feature Occident (Temple Film) was selected for Quinzaine des Réalisateurs in 2002. This is his sixth selection for Cannes, the fifth for the Official Selection and the fourth for the Competition.
The 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival will be held 17-28 May 2022.
Production Information:
Producer :
Mobra Films (Romania)
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Coproducers :
Why Not Productions (France)
Wild Bunch International (France)
France 3 Cinéma (France)
Le Pacte (France)
Les Films du Fleuve (Belgium)
Filmgate Films (Sweden)
Film iVäst (Sweden)
Credits:
Director: Cristian Mungiu
Scriptwriter: Cristian Mungiu
DoP: Tudor Vladimir Panduru
Production designer: Simona Pădurețu
Editor: Mircea Olteanu
Cast: Marin Grigore, Judith State, Macrina Bârlădeanu, Orsolya Moldován, András Hatházi, Deák Zoltán
