| Writer | Cristi Puiu |
| Top cast | Bianca Cuculici, Otilia Panainte, Dragos Bucur |
| Release Year | 2023 |
| Runtime | 2h40 |
| Language | Romanian |
Casting
| Bianca Cuculici | Oana Pfeifer |
| Laur Bondarenco | Mihai Dumitru |
| Otilia Panainte | Ioana Elisabeta Macri |
| Florin Tibre | Septimiu Pfeifer |
| Igor Babiac | Eugen |
| Roxana Ogrendil | Cezara Postelnicu |
| Adelaida Perjoiu | Consuelo |
| Dorian Boguta | Giani |
| Dragos Bucur | Narcis Pătrănescu |
| Marin Cumatrenco | Polițistul |
Credits
- Music J. S. Bach, Wishbone Ash, Giuseppe Verdi, George Rosey
- Director of photography Ivan Grincenco, Silviu Stavilă
- Sound Alexandru Dumitru, Cristophe Vingtrinier
- Set design Cristi Puiu
- Costume design Cristi Puiu
- Make-up and hair Ana Mihalache, Ligia Matei, Bianca Cuculici
- Film editing Sebastian Pereanu, Ecaterinca Iaschevici
- Production manager Sergiu Cumatrenco
- Executive producer Mihai Rîpan, Ana Maria Pârvan
- Producer Dorian Boguță, Dragoș Bucur, Anca Puiu, Cristi Puiu
- Countries of origin Romania, France, Moldova
Synopsis
Oana Pfifer, a young therapist visibly distracted by some unknown reasons, is slipping little by little inside the net of the questionnaire she is supposed to submit to her patient. Mihai Dumitru, Oana’s younger brother, worrying about the preparations of his anniversary and not realizing how inappropriate his demands are, is stuck in a story far bigger than what he can handle.
Septimiu Pfifer, Oana’s husband, concerned about his health regarding a possible Covid-19 contamination, is vaguely listening to a strange story his ambulance colleague was caught inside long ago, while waiting for the next emergency call. Narcis Patranescu, an organized crime inspector, perturbed by the recent death of one of his colleagues, is on the grip of an unsettling dark story while interrogating a young woman during a funeral.
Four short moments in time that are capturing the wanderings of a bunch of errant souls stuck at the crossroads of history.
Reviews
Puiu’s depiction of it all makes for an alienating watch, and on emerging from his maze, it’s hard to know exactly where you’ve been, or why Puiu has chosen to take you there
Puiu’s microscopic approach proves to be more unnerving than usual... and one wonders if the film might feel more approachable as a cranky time capsule decades from now
,,Cristi Puiu’s MMXX is immersive in an entirely different way: it plunges us directly into the lives of its characters, refusing convenient signposts and leaving us to navigate for ourselves the maze of its often elusive meaning.''
,,As you are groping for an idea of who these people are, you are glued to the screen, hanging on their every word.''
,,Puiu displays his usual ability to explore the characters, and the central themes of their stories, through their conversations, long and lively, sometimes dizzying and overwhelming.''
,,The latest from Romanian filmmaker Cristi Puiu comprises four salty slices of pandemic-era life which range from the outwardly comic to the overtly grizzly.''
,,But what MMXX demonstrates with such acuity is how its characters’ usual ways of getting a grip on the world have given way.''
