The Romanian call it the 'transition'. The period that started with the fall of the Communist rule in December 1989 was by no means an easy one for the Romanian people and society. Communism left Romania broken not only economically, but also spiritually, and a full generation had to bear the burden of change and adaptation. Many of the politicians and business men at the top were ex-Communist and people belonging to the secret forces of the Communist state who learned the new rules and in some way continued their domination.
The film tells the story of a political scandal, that endangers the career of Lazarescu, a top politician. In a key scene in the movie he is driving on a lonely road, at morning hours, and is harassed by a couple of youngsters on motorcycle who prove to be the former lover of his concubine and her friend. The two suffer a grave accident, one of them dies, the other hardly survives. We never know if Lazarescu is guilty, and the fact seems not to be important anyway as long as the society around, his money, his relations all seem to protect him. However, his political enemies will make a case out of nothing and determined to take him under control or otherwise ruin his life and career will turn it into scandal and blackmail. By the end, LAzarescu is broken, and will be forced into making the political compromise, but the bigger price will be personal. Public and personal life and society continue to be dominated by the same crooks and dark forces as before, this seems to be the message of the movie.
The film plays well on the scale of the social drama. There is nothing too new or too daring in the cinema language but director Dan Pita tells the story in a fluent manner and keeps the interest of the viewer alight for the duration of the almost two hours. The fine actors team includes some of the best actors in Romania and does a good job - Stefan Iordache is Lazarescu, Victor Rebengiuc plays his political foe, Maia Morgenstern whom the world cinema knew a few years later in Gibson's Passion also has a supporting role here. 'Omul Zilei' (Man of the Day) is not a masterpiece - just an average movie, but average movies worth being watched are a sign of a more mature cinema.
The film tells the story of a political scandal, that endangers the career of Lazarescu, a top politician. In a key scene in the movie he is driving on a lonely road, at morning hours, and is harassed by a couple of youngsters on motorcycle who prove to be the former lover of his concubine and her friend. The two suffer a grave accident, one of them dies, the other hardly survives. We never know if Lazarescu is guilty, and the fact seems not to be important anyway as long as the society around, his money, his relations all seem to protect him. However, his political enemies will make a case out of nothing and determined to take him under control or otherwise ruin his life and career will turn it into scandal and blackmail. By the end, LAzarescu is broken, and will be forced into making the political compromise, but the bigger price will be personal. Public and personal life and society continue to be dominated by the same crooks and dark forces as before, this seems to be the message of the movie.
The film plays well on the scale of the social drama. There is nothing too new or too daring in the cinema language but director Dan Pita tells the story in a fluent manner and keeps the interest of the viewer alight for the duration of the almost two hours. The fine actors team includes some of the best actors in Romania and does a good job - Stefan Iordache is Lazarescu, Victor Rebengiuc plays his political foe, Maia Morgenstern whom the world cinema knew a few years later in Gibson's Passion also has a supporting role here. 'Omul Zilei' (Man of the Day) is not a masterpiece - just an average movie, but average movies worth being watched are a sign of a more mature cinema.