Where Are You Bucharest?

Director: Vlad Petri

The last fifty years of Romanian history have been anything but halcyonian. Nicolae Ceausescu's oppressive rule met a violent end in the late 80s', which helped usher in a democratic government, which has endured to this day. Unfortunately, progress has meant more unrest and social upheaval.

Romanian director Vlad Petri took to the Bucharest streets with his camera in 2012 to record the protests directed at current President Traian Basescu's government, which many Romanians regard as corrupt.

Petri immerses himself in the impassioned crowds, capturing the varying views of the citizens, who often trade heated words on the subject of the President and the Romanian state of affairs. In spite of the anger and hostility, the protests are mostly peaceful but some bloodshed seems inevitable, as do (unfortunately) the police batons that occasionally find their way to the protestors' bodies. The protestors often direct their frustration at the shield-wielding, baton brandishing police--for want of better targets--who are omnipresent and vigilant.

It is always astonishing to witness the participatory zeal in which foreigners approach their politics. Men and women, young and old, gather in clusters to chant or debate and as one might expect, the views are disparate and dogmatic. Pro-Basescu gatherings shout at clusters of anti-Basescu contingents and though much debating is focused on the President, the ideas are numerous and nuanced; even like-minded protestors occasionally demonstrate subtle, ideological differences. Though we see many young demonstrators, we also see middle-age and elderly chanting slogans and voicing their opinions as vigorously as their youthful counterparts.

The tension is ratcheted up when Basescu is suspended from office and when a referendum is conducted the same month, a majority vote calls for his dismissal. But the subsequent plebiscite was declared invalid due to feeble turnout, which is odd, given the Romanian's disdain for apathy.

Amid all the cries for change, we only hear a few protestors consider sensible solutions to the problem or viable alternatives to Basescu's administration (regime?).

In the end, as Petri's film shows, the Romanian people end up where the protests began, with an uncertain future and widespread discontent.

Petri's film gives us an over-the-shoulder perspective of protest but he fails to adequately give us a context for what we see onscreen. We see a protest but we're given no particulars that might make us better understand--and empathize with--those occupying the streets. I realize he may have deliberately kept the details vague to give the film a this-could-be-anywhere kind of appeal, which is effective but I wanted to know more about the local version of the worldwide economic crisis.

I did find a scene where a protestor and a police officer calmly discuss an earlier, violent confrontation between them comical, as one might find two combatants gathering to reflect on mutual hostilities the day after a battle.

I think Petri's film is interesting but only that. The chanting and shouting gives us a glimpse of Romanian politics but even at a lean 80 minutes, I felt the film could have been trimmed further. I also think Petri gives the audience the benefit of the doubt where our knowledge of Romanian politics is concerned. A few prefatory facts might have helped.

A follow-up film in ten years might be worth the effort. Given the volatile nature of Romanian politics, anything could and will most likely happen. Seeing Petri's film and knowing something of Romania's bleak past, we can only hope for a happy outcome, or at least something not-Ceausescu. We'll see.