It takes a perfect storm of politics and culture to create that sought-after beast in cinema circles: the new wave. France had one in the inaugural movement that saw critics turn directors to rebel against post-war formalism. Australia experienced its own screen resurgence in the 1970s and 1980s, as emerging auteurs took risks and reinvigorated a stagnant industry. A host of other nations have followed the same path, both simultaneously and consequently. Reflecting the country’s fates in its transition from dictatorship to democracy, now Romania joins their ranks.
The past decade of finessed filmmaking has established the Romanian new wave as more than a phase, a spate of acclaimed releases cementing the nation’s filmic output as something to keenly watch. Marked by austerity and minimalism, Cristi Puiu’s The Death of Mr. Lăzărescu, Corneliu Porumboiu’s 12:08 East of Bucharest and Cristian Mungiu’s 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days and Beyond the Hills contributed to a considerable contemplation of ordinary lives in the vacuum left by extraordinary events. To this bold body of work, Calin Peter Netzer’s 2013 Berlinale Golden Bear winner Child’s Pose (Pozitia copilului) proves a weighty addition.
Another identifiable trend informs Netzer’s third feature after 2003’s Maria and 2009’s Medal of Honor, that of domineering mothers and their devotion to their offspring. The silver screen has played host to a plethora calculating and commanding maternal influences, but the writer/director and his co-scribe Razvan Radulescu (a force behind the aforementioned The Death of Mr. Lazarescu and 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) have crafted their own inimitable creation. Their formidable protagonist struggles with the loosening of family ties as her son forges his own way forward. When the chance presents itself, she tries to return to her position of power within his crumbling existence.
‘Parents find their fulfilment in their children,’ explains socialite Cornelia Keneres (Luminita Gheorghiu, Beyond the Hills), as she finds her own privileged life is meaningless with her son Barbu’s (Bogdan Dumitrache, Best Intentions) increasing absence. She speaks of him often, and with unhappiness akin to a spurned lover; that her desired connection with Barbu might exceed normal bounds doesn’t register in her thinking. Her determination to insert herself back into his daily routine finds an opportunity when a traffic accident leaves a boy dead and Barbu behind bars. What wouldn’t a mother do to make things better for her child, unwilling and ungrateful as he may be? In Cornelia’s case, nothing is out of the question.
With an ever-present air of condemnation steeling every handheld shot and restless stylistic choice, Netzer doesn’t shy away from his easy correlation between Cornelia’s no-holds-barred attempt to retain control over the wayward Barbu, and the corresponding societal situation that sees Romanian bureaucracy still scuppered by constant corruption charges. His jumpy overall aesthetic approach may appear understated as it favours patience in its story and viewers, but his statement is always evident. The film is plainly built as a melodrama and bursts with melancholy; however its messaging and manipulations are as strong within the feature as a whole as they are in the narrative circumstances.
Expressive efforts by new wave veteran Dumitrache provide Child’s Pose with a crucial sense of balance, her work in a welcome leading part veering between the feature’s contemplative and commentating modes. Her character is heightened by her bleached hair and glassy stare, but her performance remains nuanced, grounded in the machinations of the plot. Every act thrust the actress’ way is overt in its careful construction, though spontaneity seeps into her portrayal as the situation becomes more complex and the façade weakens. By proxy, her Cornelia is an institution desperate to retain its relevance yet only empowered by underhand means; however Dumitrache plays every sour speech and longing look to perfection. In this demanding mother and her poisonous plight, the Romanian new wave surges towards its fitting embodiment.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Child’s Pose (Pozitia copilului)
Director: Calin Peter Netzer
Romania, 2013, 112 mins
Perth Festival
www.perthfestival.com.au
7 – 13 April
In general release: 15 May
Distributor: Palace
Rating: M
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