This time around, Cristian Mungiu (Palme d’Or for 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days at Cannes 2007) built his story around the characters of two young women. For one, her faith in God is her salvation, for the other it is a matter for rebellion. At the Cannes festival this year the film was awarded Best Screenplay, and Best Actress was shared by the two female leads.
Alina arrives from Germany (where she has gone to work) with the hope of going back with Voichita, the only creature she ever loved or who ever loved her. But during the time Alina was away, Voichita found God, a competitor in love who is very hard to beat. Cristian Mungiu, who took the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2007, has once again chosen two young women as his central characters. Having grown up together in an orphanage, they meet again after a long separation in a convent in the mountains. The huts around the church may seem like home to Voichita, but her friend longs to escape the strict rules exacted by the priest to subdue his blindly obedient community. It isn’t difficult to find parallels with the recent history of the filmmaker’s country, even though he leaves interpretations of the complicated and ambiguous story up to the viewer. The final shot, however, eloquently expresses his view of contemporary Romania.
152 min / Color, DCP
Director Cristian Mungiu
/ Screenplay Cristian Mungiu inspirováno romány dle skutečných udalostí od / inspired by the non-fiction novels of Tatiana Niculescu Bran
/ Dir. of Photography Oleg Mutu
/ Editor Mircea Olteanu
/ Producer Cristian Mungiu
/ Production Mobra Films
/ Cast Cosmina Stratan, Cristina Flutur, Valeriu Andriuță, Dana Tapalagă
/ Contact GoodFellas
www: www.beyondthehills.eu
Cristian Mungiu (b. 1968, Iaşi, Romania) studied English literature and film direction. He worked as a teacher and journalist up to 1994. Since finishing film studies, during which he gained experience as an assistant director on foreign productions in Romania, he has presented his work at some of the world’s most prestigious festivals. In 2002 his first feature West (Occident) was awarded at Cannes, where it was screened as part of the Directors’ Fortnight. In 2003 the director founded his own production company, Mobra Films. After being awarded the Palme d’Or, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007) was screened at the Karlovy Vary IFF. He returned to the topic of his youth spent under totalitarian rule in Tales from the Golden Age (Amintiri din Epoca de Aur 2 - Dragoste in timpul liber, 2009). His film Beyond the Hills again brought him critical acclaim at Cannes.
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