Kontinental '25

A feature drama written and directed by Radu Jude and starring Eszter Tompa, Oana Mardare and Adonis Tanta. This film was inspired by Roberto Rossellini's Europe '51.

 

Orsolya (Tompa) is a bailiff in Cluj-Napoca, Romania and one day, she is assigned to evict a homeless, middle-aged man from a building's cellar. While the process is taking place, the evictee commits suicide, leaving Orsolya tormentes by guilt. She then proceeds to on a challenging personal journey, seeking help from acquaintances and from herself in order to try to come to terms with the event.

 

Basically, the plot is the aftermath of a tragic occurrence, particularly how it affects a person who believes they are responsible for what happened. The concept is intriguing and important, exploring how an individual tries to cope with the belief that a death occurred due to their actions. Regarding the technical aspects, Jude does a great job with the directing, creating impressive shots of buildings.

 

Although the concept is interesting, it is challenging to watch this film with eagerness. The pace is slow. Very slow. The narrative moves very gradually. As mentioned, the directing is well-executed, however, Jude's decision to utilise long takes while keeping the camera still and keeping non-diegetic music non-existent makes the scenes feel, well...not very exciting. Plus, there are many shots throughout of buildings, which as mentioned look great, nevertheless, they just feel random as they appear time and time again, with the reason for their presence being unclear. Repetition is also an issue in terms of dialogue, with the story of how the tragedy took place being told repeatedly.

 

Focusing on the acting now, the feature gains from strong performances, particularly by Tompa, who leads the story effectively as a family woman who is struggling with herself. Tanta also deserves recognition for his role as a lively and sort of childish young man, whose character brings some joy into Orsolya's life.

 

Feelings of guilt are an evident theme here, along with conscience, morality and injustice. The screenplay also provides an insight into the life of a bailiff, the real estate business and life in Romania. Furthermore, this story is also about homelessness, poverty and religion.

 

A feature that explores significant subjects but is brought down because of the slow pace and a duration that approaches two hours, making the film overlong.

In UK cinemas 31st October 2025.