Balaur

A film that makes you think of French cinema. Alexandru Papadopol was well chosen for the role of the priest. His physique and the level of his performance help the character a lot. I never liked this actor and I don't like priests in general, so for me this role is a very pleasant and unexpected surprise. Alexandru Papadopol plays his part well until the end, being very credible. Mãlina Manovici is a sensual, expressive actress who conveys a lot, knowing how to hide a girl full of carnal desires under an angelic face. There would be a lot to say about the subject matter of the film, but that's another topic. In conclusion, a well-made film, along with Neidentificat (2020).

This film exceeded my expectations and the group of filmmakers who did this have a lot of potential!

I didn't think it was mediocre at all, the performance of the main actress was excellent, you could feel that constant tension, especially in the scene when she was looking for her son and was teaching him how to cover her lies. She transforms very unexpectedly into a different person she couldn't know she could be.

The ending was somehow surprising and served exactly what it needed. It made me think and it still does. There are lots of interpretations for the final scene and I recommend everybody to see the film and find the suitable meaning for themselves.

A truly enjoyable cinema experience. It has humour, tension, rhythm and very, very good performances from all the main cast. Alexandru Papadopol is very convincing as a the dispassionate priest.

The slow pace, deliberate classicism, and thematics of this debut film would easily serve as arguments for shipping it off as "another one of those East European dramas" that have been practically mass-produced in recent years. This would be to overlook the fact that Chelaru's feature film unmasks the patriarchal workings with astonishing maturity, often at the turn of a shot or a dialogue.

Passed under all the major radars, this story about the perilous relationship between a Religion teacher married to an Orthodox priest and one of her underage students certainly does not have the subversive charge of a Radu Jude, but can boast of a beautiful suspense where we can guess the influence of Michael Haneke.

The fear of infidelity is the theme of Balaur (2021), based on a real from Piatra Neamt, where a religion teacher, wife of a priest, was involved in a public scandal after a relationship with one of her students. Because Transilvania Film Festival offers this extraordinary opportunity to meet the makers of a film immediately after the screening, Balaur (2021) seemed to me an even more impressive directorial debut listening to the way Octav Chelaru argued his cinematic choices and seeing the unity of his team of actors including Alexandru Papadopol, Sergiu Smerea and Mãlina Manovici, protagonists who, I have no doubt, will receive some awards for this interpretation. Liana Alexandru.