ataraxia91 Reviews

Arsenie. An Amazing Afterlife (2023)

Scratching the surface in a very opportunistic fashion

[3/10 · 4 September 2023]

As a disclaimer, I need to say that I couldn't get through the whole thing and I exited the theater after 70min which were grueling. Yet another piece of "great" Romanian cinema, exploiting very opportunistically a fairly popular and sensitive topic, but doing so in a fashion that's barely scratching any surface. First of all, it leaves you questioning: what am I watching? Is it really a documentary? Just rallying people as the result of a casting, as it's announced in the beginning, making them act all kinds of scenes and putting them in absurd feint of a focus group where they are supposed to exchange thoughts and opinions. It constantly gives a sense of mockery and superiority over the people appearing in the film. Over their values, thoughts and attitudes.

There is absolutely no substance, no matter how hard you try to find it. There is no depth, no intellectual or mindful exploration. And if it really is a documentary, then it's about nothing and it's actually a big joke. If that's the point, then bravo!

Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (2021)

A negative crescendo. From fairly decent, to kind of bad and excruciatingly bad

[3/10 · 5 February 2023]

The film overall is utterly bad. It's actually a descrencendo it terms of quality, as it starts with a fairly decent first part that's an interesting melange of elegant, subtle criticism towards society and a good showcase of how the Romanian streets feel like today. I can appreciate the value of the long walk in the city because it provides a snapshot of a moment in time; of the aesthetics, general mood and the day-to-day petty attitudes of the people. But, like some kind of a warning or a teasing, whenever there is dialogue or acting involved, things go south.

The second part is a looong series of terms and definitions, apparently encompassing any kind of frustrations at hand, from Hitler to blowjobs. It becomes a lot more superficial, cold-hearted and excessively cynical. And downright inappropriate, giving away a very imature and biased perspective. We see the validation of one shameful and disrespectful moment in recent times (the artist versus the Church - that particular segment was not included, though), we are shown real photos of half naked women from old Romanian newspapers (at this point I'm asking myself if it's a documentary I'm watching) and a very patronizing attitude towards regular people (social distancing versus dancing).

As much as you would like to cut it some slack, the third part is excruciatingly bad, one of the most difficult things to have experienced watching in a long time. I don't think it's even worth explaining too much here. It's a series of clichés, coupled with poorly written dialogue and very bad acting, as well as some absurd interventions that again leave you asking yourself what exactly is this meant to be. This part is so bad, that even the emotional connection that one might remotely have experienced in the first two parts are really flushed down the toilet.

In my opinion, the way too lengthy censored segments of the "looney porn" look very amateurish and even here the acting feels off. I did pick up some irony and self criticism induced by linking censorship with money, but that's way too little humbleness versus the endless strain of frustrations, petty finger pointing and even bullying that Mister Jud(g)e is constantly conveying (pun intended).

In the end, the quality of the film is as intrinsically bad as the very thing that it tries to portray - Romanian society.