Aferim!

Being based on lots of writings from that era, I suppose that this movie reflects a fair image of life in Tara Romaneasca (Wallachia) of the 19th Century, with its' patterns and prejudices. It probably does some justice to today's Romani, when Europe encounters them again and there is no narrative to explain who their ancestors were. And maybe it does some justice to today's Romanians too, when the European public finds out what is the distinction between Romanians and Romani.

The movie can evoke amusement, disapproval, empathy. However, the spectator discovers more and more that comedy turns to tragedy.

I appreciate the fact that Aferim has complex characters that are not entirely positive or negative.

Set in 1835 Wallachia (now southern Romania), approximately half-way in time between Miguel de Cervantes' masterpiece and present day, the film follows Constandin, a bounty hunter, and his son Ionita, as they chase a runaway gypsy slave. And yes, there is a Dulcinea del Toboso, maybe less adored and more punched in the face, and yes, they do stop at the inn, and yes, the combination of Romanian proverbs and down to earth conversations is reminiscent of the Don Quixote-Sancho Panza exchanges. The father and son journey is recreated from historical, literary and musical sources by the Director Radu Jude with creativity, intelligence and obvious sympathy for that part of the world.

Beautifully shot from a necessary distance by Marius Panduru in black and white, the movie smoothly fades in and out of images, thoughts, prejudices and superstitions characteristic of a society marked by poverty, corruption, racism, xenophobia, misogyny, and religious intolerance. Things of the past, one might say, things of the past.

Teodor Corban gives Constandin determination, humor and a certain kindness, mainly directed toward Ionita (a well-cast Mihai Comanoiu) and rarely toward the gypsy slave Carfin (Toma Cuzin, in a convincing role). Mihale Sirbu and her tormented character Sultana skillfully navigate the dangerous waters of passion and fear, especially in the menacing presence of boyar Iordache (Alexandru Dabija). In a deceptively easy role, Alexandru Bindea portrays a Priest who summarizes the mentalities of the time.

So, is "Aferim!" a masterpiece? Unfortunately, although it comes so close, is not. Shot in only 23 days (according to an interview given by Radu Jude) the movie appears to be assembled in a hurry. The verbal and physical violence is overwhelming. After seeing the movie, go home and hide all scissors! Radu Jude decided that cruelty is the legacy of that era and should also be the mark of his movie. He placed the most violent scene at the very end to shock the audiences and festival juries, with vastly different results. Should that scene had been placed earlier, the mark of the movie could have been the donquixotesque father and son horseback trip across Wallachia in search of the meaning of life. Too bad that instead of a masterpiece we got a master and a piece.

Set in 1835 in Walachia, Romania, we meet Consatndin who is a Constable – he is accompanied by his eager but less effective son – Ionita. They are chasing an escaped slave, this is a Roma man who has stolen money and run away from a Boyar (who has the most impressive hat imaginable).

Along the way the two men come across many more Roma – whom they refer to as 'Crows' (because crows are black) and treat them like the underclass they believe them to be. They also run into a number of other – less than savoury – characters including the World's most xenophobic Priest. What follows is story that can be seen as comedic, harrowing and at times almost bewildering in its depiction of what times were like. The enslavement of the Roma is a subject rarely mentioned and so this is groundbreaking in many ways.

It is filmed in black and white and is lit in such a way to make this seem many years older than it is, Director Radu Jude said this is a western and did a lot to evoke the early westerns in theme and composure of the story, but he has also created a film that is unique too. There is violence here and scenes that some may find upsetting but it is just an amazing watch. Languages are Romanian, Turkish and Roma with OK sub titles to be fair. The title 'Aferim' means 'bravo' in Turkish and as the Romanians hated the Ottoman Empire it is ironic that they use this word as a form of praise – but that is intentional. Nominated for the 88th Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film I feel this is in with rather a big chance and is a film that I can absolutely recommend to all World cinema fans.

an old story. about a society and its people, traditions and every day life. a film who reminds a world who has only reflection for a lost age. same brutal language like many Romanian films after 1989, the same desire for appreciation, using dark clichés. . but a special message. like a testimony, a kind of parable, as a bitter story about life, world, destiny, justice and faith. Radu Jude does an good work.with a profound commercial purpose. but he explores the profound manner to discover/define an universe who describes the habits of present Romania. so, a gray movie , decent performances, nice script - puzzle of old writings, songs ,careful documentation, delicate traces from Bergman, trip in heart of a circle who remains frame from Balkans. a film who could be a deep subjective history lesson. in fact, only support for reflection. about the roots of present.

I think it's almost impossible for someone who is not a Romanian speaker to really get most of the dialog in this movie. There are a lot of archaic words and expressions from funny to sad or contemplative that are for sure lost in translation. I am a Romanian, born and raised in this country, and I didn't understand 30-35 % of the words. I have to see it again with subtitles on to fully appreciate the mesmerizing Wallachian dialect. It's a great movie nonetheless, with beautiful cinematography and solid performances from the actors, so I strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to see how life was 200 years ago in Romania.