Philanthropy

Ovidiu teaches at a high school in Bucharest. His wage is not enough, he can barely pay the rent, and he has no money to ask a woman out. One day he meets a man. Pápuc runs an organisation: he directs the people begging in the streets, gives them parts and takes a share of the takings. The system is corporate; scenes are written, districts allotted and performances supervised. Ovidiu joins. The scenes he writes work and he starts earning well. Then he wants out of the system. Nae Caranfil writes and directs. Mircea Diaconu plays Ovidiu and Gheorghe Dinică plays Pápuc. It is a Romanian production. The film took a strong result at the Romanian box office and was among the most watched domestic productions of the period. The matter it treats is pity turned into trade; the film shows it as an industry. Its form is black comedy; the scenes proceed ridiculously and the consequences are bitter. Its ground is Romania in transition; the position of public employees and everyday corruption are taken as direct subjects. The character Gheorghe Dinică plays is what is most cited. The narrative does not clear the teacher either; the man complains about the system and chooses to stay inside it. Its limit is structure; the narrative proceeds in pieces and the last section runs long. Who it is for: viewers who like Romanian cinema and social satire. Who it is not for: it is bleak, the references local, and the pace uneven.