R.M.N., the latest feature of director Cristian Mungiu, is set to open in local cinemas next week. 

The film, which has been selected in the official competition of the Cannes festival, will have a preview screening on June 2 at Sala Palatului in Bucharest. 

Beginning June 3, the film will screen in cinemas across Romania, and the crew of the film will be present for various special screenings in various cities. 

Set in a multiethnic village in Transylvania, the film follows Matthias, who returns from working in Germany to his native village eager to see his ex-lover Csilla. He wishes to get more involved in the education of his son, Rudi, left for too long in the care of his mother, Ana, and to rid him of the unresolved fears that have gripped him. “When a few new workers are hired at the small factory that Csilla manages, the peace of the community is disturbed, underlying fears grip the adults, and frustrations, conflicts and passions erupt through the thin sliver of apparent understanding and calm. A story about the deep springs of human behavior in the face of startling realities, about relationships and how we all relate to an unsettling future,” according to a synopsis of the production.

The film stars actors Marin Grigore and Judith State with other roles being played either by professional actors such as Macrina Bârlădeanu, Orsolya Moldován, András Hatházi and Deák Zoltán, or by non-professionals. 

The cinematography was done by Tudor Vladimir Panduru (Graduation, Malmkrog), set design by Simona Pădurețu (Graduation, The Father Who Moves Mountains) and editing by Mircea Olteanu (Beyond the Hills, Tales from the Golden Age). 

The filming took place between November 2021 and January 2022, mainly in the village of Rimetea in Alba county, but also in other towns in Transylvania.

The film is produced by Mobra Films and co-produced by Why Not Productions, Wild Bunch International, France 3 Cinéma and Le Pacte in France, Les Films du Fleuve (Belgium), Filmgate Films and Film i Väst (Sweden), with the support of Canal+, France Télévisions, Ciné+, and is financed by the Romanian National Film Centre and supported by Eurimages. 

The production references an incident in early 2020, when the owner of a bread factory in a central Romania village decided to remove two Sri Lankans who worked as bakers in his factory after pressure from the local community.

The film had its Cannes premiere this past weekend. It is Mungiu’s fourth film selected in the Cannes festival’s official competition. In 2007 he won the Palme d’Or for 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, which he wrote and directed – the first Romanian filmmaker to win the distinction and the only so far. In 2012, he won the award for Best Screenplay for the film Beyond the Hills. In 2016 he won the Best Director award for Graduation, a prize he shared with Olivier Assayas, awarded for the thriller Personal Shopper.

Outside the official competition, his film Occident was screened in Cannes’ Quinzaine des Réalisateurs in 2002, while Tales from the Golden Age was selected in the Un Certain Regard section in 2009.

In 2013, Mungiu was part of the jury of the official competition of the festival and later presided over the Cinefondation (shorts) and Semaine de la Critique sections.

Four other Palme d’Or winners have films included in this year’s official competition: brothers Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, Ruben Östlund and Hirokazu Kore-eda.

The June 2 preview screening is open to the wide public. Tickets are available on Eventbook.ro, at the ticket office of Sala Palatului, and the venue’s website.

(Photo: Voodofilms.ro)

simona@romania-insider.com