Experimentul Pitesti

The "Pitesti Experiment" is a film that depicts the historical, cultural, psychiatric, neurological and social time of Romania from the last century in detail. I have so much to say about the movie!

I was surprised that the film is based on typological roles. The director's choice succeeded to capture more of what happened, as Victoria's story joined those of several unfortunate victims. The movie focuses on several types of behavior, such as the typology of the martyr, the opportunist, the man with two faces, the man with a modest intellect who obeys and copies what he sees in others authoritarians, the egoist who does his job and is indifferent to what happens around him as long as he is not directly affected and the typology of the fanatic who does not accept his close ones who don't share the same beliefs. Each typology showcases much of the psychological and social reality of the respective period.

I liked that the torturer was presented, in the end, as a victim of the system and did not represent necessarily a purely negative and evil character, due to psychiatric or other imbalances, incomprehensible to the viewer. But he was just a man, with impressive cognitive abilities and a emotional power specific to people born to be leaders who, due to unfortunate situations, chose to exploit his intelligence and inner strength in a negative way (i.e. Every single man has an evil and a good part, as explained to him by his uncle, but only one emerges in his personality, as he fed his evil part more). I am also surprised by the contrast of the character who embodied the typology of the torturer: his aggressiveness with the prisoners that he was subjecting to the re-education process and his submission and docility to those bigger than him.

I liked the locations chosen for filming, essentially 100% purely Romanian. Also, Romanian authenticity and tradition were accurately portrayed through the objects used in the film, the sets, the clothing - they all have been accurate replications of the period in which the unfortunate events happened. Also, the language was built faithfully both from a phonetic point of view, because the accent has been adapted according to the geographical region in which the event occurs, or to whom the character belonged. As for the rhetorical part and the vocabulary, the directors integrated archaisms or words that are no longer found in DOOM3 - a language anchored in the reality of the last century. The characters' names were also purely Romanian and among the most common ones at that time.

The movie scenes are very real and hard to watch. Although I was familiar with them from the books, I could barely hear and see them on the screen because of the emotional impact they had on me. Unfortunately, although they may seem excessively aggressive, they reflect a reality of some young people who hae been subjects to torture without a real motive, anything to blame or benefits to anyone in any way. I admit it was easy for me to understand some moments because I knew them from books. I felt like some scenes could have been added, but the story is too broad and hard to cover in just 1 and a half - 2 hours.

Overall, this film is not a purely artistic act meant to impress with its qualities. In reality, it is an atrocious part of the Romanian's identity, a piece of history to which we, the spectators, manage to become participants. The way it is built, the types of characters, as well as the symbolism of each scene so painstakingly created do not make us mere observers of the past, but even the present, because it is possible to identify elements that still co-exist in current society. So, the film is also a form of awareness about our national identity.

"The Pitesti Experiment" is a film that gradually reproduces the darkest reality and bloody periods in our history, being based on the testimonies left in books by survivors. I greatly appreciate the director's work and thank you in the warmest and most grateful way for bringing a so important and so little known part of our history closer to us, the Romanians and to everyone.

Last night I was present with my colleagues at the Pitesti Philharmonic for the release here, too, of the independent feature film Experimentul PITESTI, by the young producer and director Victoria Baltag, with whom I had the opportunity to meet 12 years ago, just before to beginning to work on this featurefilm. This feature is a distinctive event, a document-film, a historical paragraph.

The Pitesti experiment remains in Romania's recent history one of the cruelest methods of re-educating the imprisoned, most of them pupils and students whose thinking had to be changed in order to comply with communist requirements.

The artistic film, a tough one, moves you and makes you witness some atrocities that took place shortly before we were born, in the places near us, at the Pitesti Prison.

The more people become aware of the possibility of the presence of "evil", the harder it can be repeated.

I invite you to watch this piece of black history that puts Pitesti on an unfair map of cruelty for awareness and knowledge.

I congratulate Victoria for the work done and the result - a masterpiece, a film that makes Pitesti known all over the world, and with the effort of each of us, we can show that everything that happened during that time was just an unrepeatable episode."

Since the meeting with Francisc Ford Copolla (in 2007) I have never seen so much pasture, rigor in documentation, attention to details, enthusiasm and emotion well controlled by the authority of the consciousness of one's own value in a director. A MAN and a Genius (I own the terms) whom I had the chance to meet in Suceava, along with the screening of her film about the Pitesti experiment that began (the climax), in Suceava.

The public still knows very little about the terrible Pitesti Experiment, in which some political prisoners were turned against others and the latter went through unimaginable tortures. Books and studies were written, but it was not enough. To fill this gap, 12 years ago, a very young director, Victoria Baltag, started an ambitious project, without any funding.

In 2015, he managed to make an artistic film without a budget, in which the late great actor Ion Caramitru also participated, in what would be his last role in a feature film.

From then until now, the director and her team of volunteers went with the film on a national tour, in 44 places, but she was also invited to Mexico, Canada and the USA. Every time he presented in an exhibition the objects he managed to collect: three paintings made by the prisoner Fag Negrescu after he managed to survive the inferno in Pitesti, numerous other paintings donated by contemporary artists because from the money obtained in following their sale to be able to help the project, works of art by the director, photos and objects from the filming, a necklace donated to Iasi by the journalist Lucian Merisca, the son of Constantin Merisca, a former political prisoner in Pitesti.

At the end of August, the first edition of the tournament ended in Bucharest, for a little while because the second tournament of 2023 is going to start this fall and has at its center objects of the young people who went through the Pitesti Experiment.

I find it difficult to state how I feel having seen the movie. I know it is not for the faint hearted but it is necessary, critical in our days to know the truth, the history as it happened.

It may be hard for people to relate today although, looking at the current conflict in Ukraine, authoritarianism is very present nowadays.

The fact the movie was made without a budget and still very much managed to reflect reality and provide a glimpse into what was the darkest, most cruel, dehumanising process in Romanian history (possibly not just Romanian history) is a fantastic thing in itself.

It reminds me once more that cruelty has no political or religious affiliation. It is a human being that simply lost their humanity.

The only reason for the rating is due to the gruesome representation. Not the kind of movie I'd like to see over and over.

"The Pitesti Experiment" is undoubtedly a film worth watching, not only for its profound theme and emotional impact but also for the impressive effort of the team that made this project possible. It stands as a tribute to our recent history and a testament to the human sacrifice in the face of unimaginable atrocities.

What makes this film truly remarkable is the fact that it was self-funded. The people who worked on it spent years conducting thorough research, poured their hearts and souls into it, and worked tirelessly to faithfully depict the horrors of communist prisons. Every detail, from the set design to the performances, reflects the passion and dedication of the team.

As the final film of the late maestro Ion Caramitru, The Pitesti Experiment becomes even more precious, serving as an artistic testament to an exceptional career. Additionally, Sergiu Flesner delivers a memorable performance, contributing to the authenticity and emotional intensity of the story. Filming in the city of Iasi adds extra value, showcasing locations that have witnessed history.

This film is more than a cinematic production - it is a history lesson, an invitation to reflection, and a tribute to the memory of those who suffered in the name of freedom. It deserves all our appreciation and support!