Opt ilustrate din lumea ideală

Mit dem Ende des Kommunismus im Jahr 1990 wurde Rumänien nicht nur Teil der westlichen Staatengemeinschaft, sondern auch der globalen Konsumgesellschaft. Diese ist allerdings durch und durch national geprägt, wie Radu Jude und der Philosoph Christian Ferencz-Flatz in ihrem Montagefilm EIGHT POSTCARDS FROM UTOPIA zeigen. Aus rasant aufeinanderfolgenden und thematisch geordneten Szenen aus Werbeclips entsteht so etwas wie eine Geschichte der Freiheit in Klischees. Frauenbilder, Männerbilder, Heimatbilder, Busenbilder, und dazwischen immer wieder die Fixpunkte eines gelungenen Lebens – seidiges Haar und blütenweiße Wäsche. (Bert Rebhandl) 

In Anwesenheit von Radu Jude.

The titular eight postcards are also a reference to the eight chapters which structure the film, organising the hundreds of post-Ceaușescu era advertisements according to specific concepts. The fervour that characterises each commercial—regardless of whether the advertised product is a washing up liquid, a telephone, a brand of coffee or banking services—feels like a response to an era lacking inhabitation, an almost unavoidable response to the “freedom” newly possible in all walks of life. The desire to consume appears unbridled, as does the enthusiasm for technological advances that promise a life of convenience and well-being. Kitsch abounds; on certain occasions, merely removing the sound of a particular advertisement or slowing it down reveals the banality involved in constructing this weak materialist utopia at a specific historical juncture. Advertising language is usually built on stereotypes, which explains the ritualised nature of their representations; while family and prosperity are traditionally signifiers of happiness, the montage here, however, deconstructs them to formulate a merciless critique, further heightened by excess and juxtaposition. (Roger Koza) 

In the presence of Radu Jude.

Radu Jude: THE HAPPIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD (2009), EVERYBODY IN OUR FAMILY (2012), AFERIM! (2015), SCARRED HEARTS (2016), THE DEAD NATION (2017), I DO NOT CARE IF WE GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS BAR-BARIANS (2018), THE EXIT OF THE TRAINS (2020, KO-REGIE) ,UPPER-CASE PRINT (2020), BAD LUCK BANGING OR LOONY PORN (2021), DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD (2023), SLEEP 2 (2024)