24/06/2024 - We chatted with the Romanian director who is determined to breathe a breath of fresh air to her country's cinema with her first feature film

(© Transilvania IFF)

After directing several shorts which travelled the world, Romanian director Ana-Maria Comănescu’s debut feature, Horia [+see also:
film review
interview: Ana-Maria Comănescu
film profile], competed in the Romanian Days sidebar at this year’s Transilvania International Film Festival. Here’s what the director had to say about waiting seven years to release her first feature, and the Romanian film landscape.

Cineuropa: How did this film come to be? Is it in any way inspired by reality?
Ana-Maria Comănescu: This film was born out of a mixture of things: the desire to make my debut with a coming-of-age story, the lure of reinterpreting the classic American road movie aesthetic, my love of the open road in the particular context of our own country, certain people I met during my youth, an idea from Andrei Huțuleac who co-wrote one of my shorts, and yes, my own experience of a journey that transformed me on a very profound level.

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When we first wrote about Horia, you said that its main theme was freedom, in a way. Can you tell us more about your protagonist’s journey?
I’d say change is the main theme, but there’s also the vital importance placed on finding a certain kind of spiritual freedom, however New Age-y that may sound. Horia has a very rigid personality and he’s often unable to cope with unpredictability. I think, by the end of his journey, he understands the proverbial “going with the flow” a little bit more. And that brings me to another crucial theme, friendship: Stela is the character who’s always spontaneous, flexible and on her toes, so he learns a lot from her. And that’s something I love about the film, the idea of a 13-year-old girl possessing such wisdom. I’m personally much more of a Horia, so that’s another element that helped me build his story.

What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
The logistical challenges of shooting a debut feature during summer heatwaves, being on the road for a month, and having so much riding on external factors, like a 60-year-old motorcycle and first-time teenage actors, were actually pretty exciting for me. I’m lucky to have had plenty of on-set experience as an assistant director, and a great crew to boot, so I wasn’t too daunted by these. For me, the biggest challenges were psychological. The enormous mental load, the pressure of failure, whatever that means, the effort of constantly staying with your creative flow and being open to whatever happens on the road, the insomnia, the constant concentration required… I could go on.

Romanian cinema seems to be divided between two extremes: the arthouse films the local audiences aren’t too often interested in, and the ultra-commercial and popular but in no way stimulating comedies. Where do you see Horia in this landscape?
I feel like Horia is tonally closer to an audience film than anything else. After all, the themes are in no way controversial and the stakes are those of a feel-good film. But what we’ve come to name "audience films" in Romania are feature films which are so focused on selling tickets, they’ve stopped looking like films altogether, aside for a few exceptions. I’ve seen YouTube sketches that look more cinematic. For me, the joy of filming is such a big part of it. I care so much about the images I put on screen – they need to have power and charm. So, visually, Horia is closer to the arthouse take. And if I think about the other end of the scale, festival films, well, I don’t know if I’m being too harsh when I say I’m sad to see so many films which are still trying to emulate what the great Romanian New Wave directors once achieved so organically. I wouldn’t be able to pinpoint what it is exactly that Romania needs in terms of cinema, but it would definitely help if filmmakers were a little less interested in the payoff and a little more interested in being true to themselves.

Given that the film shoot was postponed several times, would you say it’s difficult to debut as a filmmaker in Romania? What is your experience in this regard?
For me, the whole process took seven years, and it was a road strewn with many obstacles. I don’t know if you can generalize, we all have our own paths, but I would say that, as a debut filmmaker, you feel like you’re expected to perform very highly, whilst also making plenty of compromises. And then, there’s the result. Most cinemas are in malls and that’s not my audience. It’s heartbreaking how much money you need to put into marketing to actually get the numbers you need, and even those aren’t going to wow anyone. Most Romanians don’t want to see Romanian movies, unless they’re endorsed by someone famous. It’s a complicated context, especially if you’ve made a film that’s meant to bring a fresh new audience to cinemas.

What is there to be done, on an institutional level, to create a local film industry which is more open to new voices, styles and approaches?
I think the points system embraced by the Romanian National Film Centre is a big part of the problem - it definitely creates a loop. Scripts and visions should be the most important criteria, not festival points. It doesn’t feel very end-product-oriented. Then there’s the infrastructure, of course: repairing old cinemas in all of our cities should be a priority. Lastly, I think we should respect our audience more, as an industry. I can see things from their perspective too. They shouldn’t have to sit through cringe-worthy dialogue or empathise with situations that feel forced. They should be able to enjoy our films, whatever style or genre they may be.