Ana, My Love

Călin Peter Netzer's 2017 Romanian film tells a relationship of more than a decade in a fractured time scheme. Toma and Ana meet in the literature faculty and attach quickly, while her panic attacks and psychiatric difficulties shape the relationship from the start. Toma takes on caring for her and that care becomes an identity over time; as Ana gets better, what his own place is becomes unclear. The film does not present its scenes chronologically, moving between present and past without warning so that the viewer has to work out which stage of the relationship they are in each time. That editing choice was honoured with a Silver Bear in Berlin. It is among the works of the Romanian New Wave that come closest to psychology. Who it's for: viewers who like intense relationship drama and games with structure. Who it's not for: anyone who would rather not watch the effect of mental illness on a relationship; the film gives it in exhausting detail.