OM CÂINE/MAN AND DOG
Saturday, June 18, 4:00 pm
Director: Ștefan Constantinescu, 2021, subtitles, 106 minutes
Followed by a Q&A with film critic Mihai Fulger
After a mysterious text message from an unknown number, Doru suddenly leaves his work in Göteborg and returns to his hometown in Romania with a growing load of jealousy on his back. The message claims that his wife is unfaithful and, despite the evidence contradicting this, he lets his anxiety grow to gigantic proportions and initiates on his own a meticulous investigation. MAN AND DOG is a deep dive into the patriarchal male role, a guestworker’s absent existence and a breathtaking exposé of a man’s paranoia trip, as well as a skillful display of stylistically pure arthouse with cataclysmic emotional crescendos.
The first feature film directed by Ștefan Constantinescu, a Romanian visual artist and film director living and working in Stockholm and Bucharest. He had previously directed several short fiction and documentary films. The director collaborated on the screenplay with Jörgen Andersson and Andrei Epure. The leading actor, Bogdan Dumitrache, is one of the most iconic actors of the New Romanian Cinema, working with directors such as Cătălin Mitulescu, Cristi Puiu, Constantin Popescu, Adrian Sitaru, Călin Peter Netzer, Corneliu Porumboiu, Ruxandra Zenide, Catrinel Dănăiață, Cristi Iftime, Radu Muntean, Hadrian Marcu, Cecília Felméri and Gabriel Achim.
Selections, nominations & awards:
- Göteborg FF 2022 (Nordic Light competition; world premiere)