Tudor Giurgiu – Libertate: “The Romanian revolution first had the appearance of a civil war! »»
1989, the Romanian people rise up against the communist dictatorship. Libertate greatly accounts for the climate of tension in these chaotic hours. Interview.
The Romanian revolution which saw the fall of the regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu in 1989 ending years of communist dictatorship is largely treated in the cinema. How Libertate allows you to explore new aspects of this historic moment?
Tudor Giurgiu: I was 18 when the revolution broke out, I necessarily have memories. However, I have always been a little afraid to take this subject, not to have the necessary perspective. We cannot summarize things by simply opposing the bad communists against a population victim of oppression. It is obviously more nuanced. When my producer Oana Bujgoi and my Coscenarist Cecilia Stefanescu told me about this empty swimming pool in the Sibiu city where the army brought together men and women accused of being terrorists, I felt that I was holding a good subject. There was a Greek tragedy side with a unit of place, time and a multitude of characters whose position one cannot be determined. Many filmmakers of my generation have in fact seized this moment in our history. Everyone may have in mind the film by Corneliu Porumboiu, 12:08 p.m. east of Bucharest (2006) and The paper will be blue de Radu MUNTEAN (2006). From things have been packed up a bit. Chance means that Libertate jointly in France with This year’s day that never happened by Bogdan Muresanu who deals with the same subject.
Back on the 24th Arras Film Festival where Libertate was celebrated
Libertate is a fairly hard war film which contrasts with the majority of feature films on the question where violence is dealt with by the absurd …
We are not the country of Eugène Ionesco by chance! I remember this dialogue in 12:08 p.m. east of Bucharest. Two residents of a fairly quiet small town town. One said to the other: ” You realize, we have made the revolution. How is it possible? “,” We just drank, danced, told jokes and celebrates! This is what our revolution looked like … »In Sibiu, the city of Transylvania where Libertatethe revolution was made in the blood.
This empty swimming pool created in the image a setting in the frame. It makes the whole even more oppressive….
This empty pelvis physically induces power relations. Those in the hole must raise their heads to see their jailers. However, the trap would have been to make the swimming pool a place at the risk of boring the spectator. So we imagined parallel stories and interactions in order to go out cyclically. My influence was Robert Altman’s choral films and this ability to make a gallery of characters coexist.
How do Sibiu’s events translate the madness that has taken hold of the country?
The media strategy still in the pay of the old regime was to frighten all the strata of the population by speaking of terrorists who would attack them. These young soldiers responsible for monitoring prisoners in the swimming pool were mostly inexperienced. Convinced of having dangerous criminals before them they were ready to kill them. Everyone was wary of everyone creating confusion and blind reactions. He reigned a climate of civil war. The first twenty minutes of Libertate thus seek to dive the spectator in the middle of chaos. It should be noted that Sibiu was then led by the son of Ceausescu, who as secretary general of the party had full powers.
Libertate of Tudor Giurgiu. With: Alex Calangiu, Herlo Catalin, Caras ionut… Duration: 1h49. Released on May 21.
