Dupa-amiaza unui tortionar

This movie was made after a novel written by Doina Jela. In the opening of the premiere night in Romania, Doina Jela told the viewers a short but painful story. "German kids were made to see the horrors of the jewish camps from Auschwitz, to remember and learn, she said. This is why they are where they are, and we (the Romanians) are where we are. You should leave this room remembering that the man, Franz Tandara, is filled with true remorse and pain. It would be the biggest mistake to condemn him just for beign courageous enough to confess..."

I left the room with the exact these thoughts and the wish to see the movie again. It hurts, but then again truth hurts.

For my point of view this is the most beautiful movie done by Pintilie (maybe the most important Romanian director) until now, even if is not so popular. The movie tell the story of a guardian in the communist prisons that in the nowadays wants to confess all murders and awful things he done in those times. The drama of this man which in those times was a real evil man is that nobody seems to be interested in his fairly confession. He has isolated by the world in a country place and he suffers that nobody is interested in his drama, although if some journalists come time to time to make some news paper articles but they are not interested in the hole story. The relationship with his son makes the drama much more profound. His son contests his actions and himself in a very formal and ideologically way, being manipulated also by the previous leaders of the security which now are in the leading position too and they wants to move the attention from the subject. The performance of the main actor is excellent. In fact, the entire movie is constructed on the performance of the main actor. It is a low budget movie but all construction of the movie is very fit to the story. Very low tools are used; the entire action is developed in the square of the retired place from the country. But everything is completed by a very well chosen of a simply decor and by the great image of the film. It is very emotional film and very subtle from the cinematographic point of view.

Lucian Pintilie is one of the most important directors in the Romanian theater and film. His second movie 'Reconstituirea' (1968) remains a masterpiece of the Romanian cinema, and a very little known protest film in the Eastern Europe cinema.

'Dupa amiaza unui tortionar' is a voyage in the dark past of Romania. Political crimes committed at the beginning of the communist rule were kept in silence for many decades, most of the victims are dead, and it is the torturer in this film who seems to be eager to speak because of his own remorse. The society around him does not seem very interested to hear the truth though, his former employers now new riches of the new regime try to keep him silent. There is a mob scene, intimidating and threatening to lynch the main character if he dares to speak, which reminds the final scene in 'Reconstituirea'.

The film is low budget, and it is mainly build of the documentary-like rendition of the unspeakable deeds in low voice and builds on the fantastic act of Gheorghe Dinica. In front of him pass phantoms of the past, not necessarily ghosts or nightmares, but rather the lusty fantasies and idealized characters that seem to explain the motivation of his deeds. The evil seems to say Pintilie is less political although we are dealing with political crimes, but rather lies in the human nature. And yet, there is hope in the desire of the character to be absolve by bearing witness. When the victims are dead it is up to the torturers to speak up the unbearable truth.

In the history of European cinema and world cinema, it is not so often that successful films about the crimes of the past have been made. Lucian Pintilie, an important film maker from Romania has filled that void by making a truly great humanist film called "The Afternoon of a Torturer". It is a humanist masterpiece as it deals with crimes of the past committed against innocent human beings. Lucian Pintilie succeeds in making a serious film as he eschews a sensationalist approach which is much too common with films where there is a mention of atrocities committed by dictatorial government set ups. In "Dupa-Amiaza Unui Tortionar", an honest attempt is made by people from all walks to life to read the minds of a torturer. This gentle try makes us to have a close dealing with the human face of a torturer. We get to see the weaknesses and strengths of a man who achieved mental pleasure by ill treating fellow human beings. The film has a lot to offer as a harmless, ordinary afternoon turns out to be full of small yet meaningful events. The best service which Lucian Pintilie has done is to have given viewers a chance to ask a very basic question : who is to be blamed if a human being is assigned to torture fellow human beings ?

Romanian cinema has always had the theme of "communism" embroidered in it, especially after 1989. There have been a lot of films portraying the cruelties of the regime, its absurdities and all the suffering it caused, but only few - if any - have been of a truly high standard. Pintilie's work is often authentically exciting, because he usually offers a more objective, although still sentimental, point of view in his movies. However, there is still room to grow.

Spoilers

The film is a narrative challenge for the director, as he tries to persuade the viewer to accept a sympathetic position when referring to the main character. We embark on a journey outside the normal time flow and, yet, constrained within its miserable boundaries. A reporter tries to bury into the depths of the past, hoping to uncover the great mysteries which, sometimes, are better left untouched. She represents the obvious society of the urbane swamp, where life is such a vague term that it turns into a simple concept, rather than authentic experiences. Her connection with Franz Tandra (the sinister bloke who confesses his sins and pains) is an old professor who plays a rather lackluster part in the proceedings. The leading role is taken apart by Gheorghe Dinica, one of the better Romanian actors, who has played very diverse parts in his career, adding, in this case, a man who lives and breathes only on the path his destiny has forsaken him to.

The torturer seems to have lost his humanity long ago, but maybe it is not he who has lost it, but others who have taken it away from him. Life is a mess and when you have to bare it continuously, it's very likely to succumb. So he confesses to have liked it, the torturing, but can he truly be blamed for this? More than definitely, a thing Franz Tandra also agrees to. However, he has paid for his sins more than enough; he has paid with his life.

Life and the illusion of it come together in a meaningful way, giving reasons and explanations. The movie itself is a critical run on all those who have yet to accept their guilt, for what they have done. That is because none of them have the mental and spiritual ability to do so. And in order to have that, there is only one voice of reason to guide you: faith.