May 4, 2023
FILM: R.M.N.
DIRECTED BY CRISTIAN MUNGIU
STARRING: MARIN GRIGORE, JUDITH STATE, MACRINA BARLADEANU
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Romanian writer/director Cristian Mungiu has developed an international reputation for his provocative works (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Beyond the Hills, Graduation) exploring a host of social issues from abortion to parenting. While each is steeped in Romanian culture, Mungiu is keenly aware of their relevance throughout the world. This is certainly the case with his latest film, R.M.N. The title corresponds to the Romanian equivalent of the M.R.I. Both forms of equipment scan the brain to detect that which might be hiding under the surface. In the case of the film, Mungiu looks at the underlying prejudices within a small Transylvanian community.
There is a lot that encompasses the first act of this film. Much of it seems unconnected to what Mungiu is examining on first glance. A boy named Rudy is scared off by something he sees in a forest leaving him literally speechless. His father, Matthias, returns to Transylvania after injuring a man at his place of employment who refers to him as a “lazy gypsy.” A grandfather passes out at a dinner table. Rudy goes missing. Each of these scenes initially feel as if they are building up to something but the dramatic intensity quickly fades as other issues arise. This might be troubling for some viewers trying to piece it all together. However, what emerges is a portrait of a complex community which is appropriately grey and cold and on the verge of a wider social/cultural breaking point.
Mungiu infuses the film with a series of characters who are pretty set in their ways as to what is right and what is wrong; what makes a man a man versus a “sissy,” and perhaps most importantly, who belongs and who doesn’t within their society. The town includes a bread factory run by two women who are struggling to find people to fill vacant jobs. They end up hiring immigrants from Sri Lanka which leads to outrage by many in the community. The most disturbing of these moments occurs at a small church where the patrons express their strong dislike for the “foreigners” encroaching on their territory and jobs. It is believed that they bring diseases and other unwelcome elements that have no place in their town. The two more practical and progressive women in charge of the factory must face off against the very traditional and homogeneous town that clearly outnumbers them. This all reaches a climax in a stunning single take 15-minute scene when all of the issues are brought under fire at a town hall meeting. How Mungiu managed such a feat of direction is a mystery. Yet, the effect puts us in the hall at a single location ready for the mudslinging to crest into something tragic.
The universality of what happens throughout this scene and the entire film is its depiction of prejudice, false facts, fear, and a lack of tolerance that we see happening all over the world today at congressional meetings, town hall gatherings, and city council meetings. There is a concern everywhere that one’s familiar way of life is being challenged. In the case of Transylvania, the fear is of the West and, particularly, the influence of the European Union. Even though this community is filled with Romanians, Hungarians, Germans, French and many that speak English, the film questions the idea that “all Europeans are brothers.” Might this not relate to some of our own in-fighting today in the U.S. about immigration, non-Christians, and homosexuality, and transgender adults? In R.M.N. the church is far from offering an open-hearted and welcoming hand, unless one fits a particular standard.
While the film may take a while to bring together its overarching message and may conclude with a bit of uncertainty, there are plenty of relevant issues addressed that make it one to stimulate and debate long after the credits roll.
R.M.N. opens this week at the Gene Siskel Center in Chicago.
FILM: R.M.N.
DIRECTED BY CRISTIAN MUNGIU
STARRING: MARIN GRIGORE, JUDITH STATE, MACRINA BARLADEANU
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Romanian writer/director Cristian Mungiu has developed an international reputation for his provocative works (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Beyond the Hills, Graduation) exploring a host of social issues from abortion to parenting. While each is steeped in Romanian culture, Mungiu is keenly aware of their relevance throughout the world. This is certainly the case with his latest film, R.M.N. The title corresponds to the Romanian equivalent of the M.R.I. Both forms of equipment scan the brain to detect that which might be hiding under the surface. In the case of the film, Mungiu looks at the underlying prejudices within a small Transylvanian community.
There is a lot that encompasses the first act of this film. Much of it seems unconnected to what Mungiu is examining on first glance. A boy named Rudy is scared off by something he sees in a forest leaving him literally speechless. His father, Matthias, returns to Transylvania after injuring a man at his place of employment who refers to him as a “lazy gypsy.” A grandfather passes out at a dinner table. Rudy goes missing. Each of these scenes initially feel as if they are building up to something but the dramatic intensity quickly fades as other issues arise. This might be troubling for some viewers trying to piece it all together. However, what emerges is a portrait of a complex community which is appropriately grey and cold and on the verge of a wider social/cultural breaking point.
Mungiu infuses the film with a series of characters who are pretty set in their ways as to what is right and what is wrong; what makes a man a man versus a “sissy,” and perhaps most importantly, who belongs and who doesn’t within their society. The town includes a bread factory run by two women who are struggling to find people to fill vacant jobs. They end up hiring immigrants from Sri Lanka which leads to outrage by many in the community. The most disturbing of these moments occurs at a small church where the patrons express their strong dislike for the “foreigners” encroaching on their territory and jobs. It is believed that they bring diseases and other unwelcome elements that have no place in their town. The two more practical and progressive women in charge of the factory must face off against the very traditional and homogeneous town that clearly outnumbers them. This all reaches a climax in a stunning single take 15-minute scene when all of the issues are brought under fire at a town hall meeting. How Mungiu managed such a feat of direction is a mystery. Yet, the effect puts us in the hall at a single location ready for the mudslinging to crest into something tragic.
The universality of what happens throughout this scene and the entire film is its depiction of prejudice, false facts, fear, and a lack of tolerance that we see happening all over the world today at congressional meetings, town hall gatherings, and city council meetings. There is a concern everywhere that one’s familiar way of life is being challenged. In the case of Transylvania, the fear is of the West and, particularly, the influence of the European Union. Even though this community is filled with Romanians, Hungarians, Germans, French and many that speak English, the film questions the idea that “all Europeans are brothers.” Might this not relate to some of our own in-fighting today in the U.S. about immigration, non-Christians, and homosexuality, and transgender adults? In R.M.N. the church is far from offering an open-hearted and welcoming hand, unless one fits a particular standard.
While the film may take a while to bring together its overarching message and may conclude with a bit of uncertainty, there are plenty of relevant issues addressed that make it one to stimulate and debate long after the credits roll.
R.M.N. opens this week at the Gene Siskel Center in Chicago.