A Cautionary Tale
Original title: CUM SĂ FIU MORT, DACĂ-S VIU?
Year: 2023
Language: Romanian
Available subtitles: English
Genre: Social issues
Country: Romania/UK
Runtime: 79 min
Status: Released
Quirky tale about a man with no documents or rights. After years of working abroad, he finds out he is pronounced dead in his homeland. He has to start an absurd fight with the system to prove he is still alive, which is not as easy as it may sound. As a filmmaker starts following his story of fighting a lone, harrowing battle against a Kafkaesque system, she also becomes dangerously enmeshed in his journey. But the story behind the story is much darker and sadder than she could have imagined.
Director: Ilinca Calugareanu
Screenplay: Ilinca Calugareanu
Cinematography: Ilinca Calugareanu
Editing: Ilinca Calugareanu
Music: Ruben De Gheselle
Sound Design: Jaques Pedersen
Sound: Jonathan Stanners
Producers: Mara Adina, Anamaria Antoci
Festivals
Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival// Cinequest Film festival//Transilvania International Film Festival
Reviews
“The story of ageing Romanian Constantin Reliu is complex, fascinating and, indeed, cautionary.” Business Doc Europe
“stranger-than-fiction saga” East European Film Bulletin