© 4 Proof Film
Sceneggiatura, costumi / Screenplay, Costume Designer: Radu Jude
Fotografia / Photography: Marius Panduru
Montaggio / Editing: Cătălin Cristuțiu
Suono / Sound: Hrvoje Radnić, Marius Leftărache, Jaime Baksht, Michelle Couttolenc
Scenografia / Art Director: Cristian Niculescu, Andreea Popa
Interpreti / Cast: Ilinca Manolache, Ovidiu Pîrșan, Nina Hoss, Dorina Lazăr, László Miske, Katia Pascariu, Uwe Boll
Produzione / Produced by: 4 Proof Film
Coproduzione / Co-produced by: Paul Thiltges Distributions, Les Films d’Ici, Kinorama, microFILM
Con il sostegno di / Supported by: Romanian Film Centre, Film Fund Luxembourg, Eurimages, ARTE Cofinova/19, Croatian Audiovisual Centre
Distribuzione internazionale / World Sales: Heretic
Distribuzione per l’Italia / Distributed in Italy by: I Wonder Pictures
Part One: We follow Angela, an overworked production assistant who must drive around the city of Bucharest in order to film the casting for a ‘safety at work’ video commissioned by a multinational company. Soon she encounters Marian, a half paralysed worker, who gets the part. Part Two: when Marian reveals on camera that his work related accident is due to the company’s negligence, his statement ignites a scandal… In her hectic day Angela – this ‘Alice in Wonderland of the East’ – encounters: successful entrepreneurs and real-life stalkers, rich and poor, people with severe disabilities and sex partners, her digital avatar and another Angela from a forgotten old film (Angela merge mai departe,1981, by Lucian Bratu). Special Jury Prize at the Locarno Film Festival, the film is the Romanian candidate for the 2024 Academy Awards.
“Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World(the title quotes an aphorism by Stanisław Jerzy Lec) is a fragmentary film (part comedy–part road-movie, part montage film–part camera-based film) about work, exploitation, death and the new gig economy. At the same time, it is a film dealing with the difficult problem of image production. All these are at the surface level, as they say–but the film only has this one level, it is a film of surfaces, a film with no depth. And it is a film which, in its structure and mise-en-scene, is even more amateurish than my last films. But this should not be a problem, didn’t Rivette praised Rossellini writing: ‘Rossellini’s films have more and more obviously become amateur films’?” (R. Jude)
Radu Jude
Among the most important and award-winning European film directors, Radu Jude was born in 1977 in Bucharest. He graduated with a degree in Film from Bucharest’s Media University in 2003. He worked as an assistant director for several Romanian and foreign features shot in Romania, including Amen by Costa-Gavras and The Death of Mister Lazarescu by Cristi Puiu. In 2006, he made the short film The Tube with a Hat, winner of more than 50 international awards, including Best Short Film at the Trieste FF. His feature film Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale 2021. The Trieste FF has presented a number of his films over the years.
Selected filmography
2006 Lampa cu căciulă (The Tube with the Hat) cm / sf; Premi / Awards: Sundance FF – Premio per la regia di cortometraggi / Short Filmmaking Award; Trieste FF – Miglior cortometraggio / Best Short Film 2009 Cea mai fericită fată din lume (The Happiest Girl in the World) 2012 Toată lumea din familia noastră 2013 O umbră de nor cm / sf 2014 Trece și prin perete cm / sf 2015 Aferim!; Premi / Awards: Berlinale – Orso d’argento per la Miglior regia / Silver Bear as Best Director 2016 Inimi cicatrizate (Scarred Hearts); Premi / Awards: Locarno – Premio speciale della giuria / Special Prize of the Jury 2017 Țara moartă (The Dead Nation) doc. 2018 Îmi este indiferent dacă în istorie vom intra ca barbari (I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians); Premi / Awards: Karlovy Vary IFF – Miglior film / Best Film 2020 Tipografic majuscul (Uppercase Print); Ieşirea trenurilor din gară doc. (The Exit of the Trains diretto con / directed with Adrian Cioflâncă) 2021 Babardeală cu bucluc sau porno balamuc (Sesso sfortunato o follie porno / Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn); Premi / Awards: Berlinale – Orso d’oro / Golden Bear; Plastic Semiotic cm / sf 2022 Potemkiniștii (The Potemkinists) cm / sf 2023 Nu aștepta prea mult de la sfîrşitul lumii (Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World); Premi / Awards: Locarno FF – Premio speciale della giuria / Special Jury Prize
