Radu
Jude, 2015, Romania-Bulgaria-Czech Republic-France
Radu Jude’s film gives voice to a community
that has been unrepresented in cinema in a similar way to ‘Embrace of the Serpent’; in this case, the Romani people bought and
sold as slaves during the 1800s. It uses primary sources to elaborate on truth
with fiction which to me, like ‘Embrace
of the Serpent’ and ‘The Witch’,
makes this more convincing than claims to “based on a true story”. ‘Aferim!’ ~ an Ottoman Turkish expression
translatable more or less as kind of
“Bravo!”, but give it a sarcastic spin ~ is set in Wallachia 1835 where a
policeman is sent to track down a runaway slave. This policeman, Costandin
(Teodor Corba), sets off across Wallachia with his teenage son and it is
obvious very soon that he is an abusive, bigoted braggart and that the boy
Ionitā (Mihai Comānoiu) is haphazardly but blindly trying to follow his
father’s example.
It is when they get a hold of the
runaway slave, Carfin (Toma Curzin), who then starts to tell them stories that
colour in his humanity that conscience is poked at. It would seem that, yes,
the slave is guilty of having an affair with his master’s wife, but it was the
wife that seduced him; and also his
worldly experience goes far beyond that of his captors. So, perhaps, maybe, he
doesn’t deserve death as punishment and they should let him go, Ionitā
suggests? It’s not that Costandin disagrees but he’s too afraid of losing the
position he has and wrongly assumes holds more influence than it has: he says,
rather, that he can persuade the master to mitigate the punishment to a
near-death beating. But by the end, the punishment having been horribly meted
out, it is obvious that he is dimly aware that he has no power other than that
associated with his feudal masters, to do their bidding and that all along he
has wallowed in the licence to brutality that allows him without really
questioning. If his son so blindly follows his father’s ways afterwards is not
known, but it’s obvious that Constadin himself is unlikely to change. He is the
middling authority that carries out the prejudices ordained by the rulers. This
is brought to the fore when Constadin wonders if people will say a good word
about them in a few hundred years: a moment that’s perhaps a little
self-conscious but also evidence that maybe this character does have doubts.
But he’s too busy enjoying the power of privilege and practicing a casual
racism it allows and deluding himself he’s doing good.
‘Aferim!’
as much about human cruelty as an ingredient of history as ‘Hard to be a God’. Having taken
incidents and speeches from primary sources only amplifies this argument, as if
it was ever in question. Slavery and racism are the backbone of society here
with little active kindness on display for mitigation. Indeed, the point is
surely that bigotry has always propped up cultures. Few scenes are as despairing
as the runaway boy Tintirc (Alberto Dinache) begging for his slavery. It is a
beautiful film, defined by Marius Panduru’s black-and-white photography where
there are few close-ups, the general view being of mid-shots and panoramas,
which keeps the audience at an observer’s distance. ‘Aferim!’ is darkly funny and accessible as a typical Western
narrative structure, but it has a documentary feel and neo-realism that is
totally European. 
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