La sabbia, la spiaggia

No one has written a review for this yet although it's one of the most infamous Romanian films. Not because of the subject matter - it's the only film Ceaus(h)escu himself ordered to be pulled from cinemas a few days after its release. He accused it personally of being anti-socialist. The ban went so far as to force director Dan Pit(s)a to eliminate it from his resume. Pit(s)a had made a few very successful buddy comedies in the style of Terence Hill and Bud Spencer, so no one had expected something this serious and the censors had perceived it as an ordinary thriller.

Yet the dictator was not wrong as the conflict between a successful surgeon and a young man, whom he charges with having robbed him on a beach despite having no concrete evidence, mirrors the claustrophobic atmosphere in the country that time. Being accused of anti-socialist behavior was enough to lose one's job and have the entire existence erased. The actual victim, not coincidentally a carpenter, endures his persecution stoically and even goes to jail, since there is no way out. Only when the surgeon cannot let go of this even after his release their confrontation turns tragic.

Pit(s)a avoided being banned from work and played it safe with his next film "Paso Doble" (1985), a love triangle which turned out to be a huge domestic hit. This film was only shown after the revolution of 1990 and increased his reputation. He made a lot of classic literary adaptations until 2014 when he retired at 75. (Sorry for writing the names this way, the site does not allow the use of the proper characters.)