In present-day Romania roiling with nationalism, racism, and social inequity, a middle-aged bailiff in Cluj, Transylvania named Orsolya sits at a dining room table arguing with her mother. Orsolya accuses Hungarian president Viktor Orbán of being “scum” and “the shame of Europe.” While she excoriates the fascist leader, a TV news report directly behind her shows what looks like a cockroach crawling down a wall. Make of that connection what you will. Director Radu Jude certainly has in Kontinental ’25, his latest jam-packed, satirical broadside that lays bare the core problems ailing his home country. His despair runs deep enough that at the end of their argument, Orsolya angrily storms out as her own mother calls her a “whore.”
May 14, 2026 No Comments
