Directed by Bogdan Theodor Olteanu, drama, 82 min, eng subtitles, 16+
Written by Bogdan Theodor Olteanu
With Maria Popistașu, Ana-Maria Guran, Carol Ionescu, Alexandru Ion, Adrian Nicolae, Ioana Bugarin
A slap by her jealous boyfriend sends Mia packing. She moves back in with her mom and confides in her friends from drama school. Against all advice, she decides to make a sex video to send to her ex. She just needs to find a man to agree to her plan. This quest soon becomes an exploration of Mia’s own views on feminism, stereotypes, sexuality, domestic violence, privilege, professionalism and a few other topics, with or against everyone around her.
After Several Conversations about a Very Tall Girl (2018), this is the director’s second movie in a triptych featuring young female protagonists whose firm adherence to their ideals shed light on how Bucharest’s culture and the Romanian public space might improve. Two main camera styles are used to differentiate Mia’s diary and video-letters to her ex- boyfriend from the documentary feel of the general storytelling. The dialogues, largely based on the actors’ improvised performance of a given situation, are fresh, alert and true. The theatrical milieu yields delightful meta-levels in the conversations. Tender, low budget, and yet entirely worth seeing – far more than a simple case study of some youthful tribulations.