Radu Jude's satire dissects the excesses of neoliberalism

In a mixture of drama and comedy, the film dissects razor-sharp themes such as housing shortages, the post-socialist economy, nationalism and the power of language to maintain social status.

In Cluj, the capital of Transylvania, Orsolya, a member of the Hungarian minority, works as a bailiff. When she has to carry out an eviction in a house that is to make way for a luxury hotel, a tragedy unfolds before her eyes. Tormented by feelings of guilt, she quickly cancels the long-planned holiday with her family and tries to talk to various people. But neither her husband, her best friend, a surprise meeting with one of her former students, nor confession to an Orthodox priest can resolve Orsolya's moral dilemma...

The new tragicomedy by Radu Jude (BAD LUCK BANGING OR LOONY PORN, DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD) is a homage, shot on the iPhone, to Roberto Rossellini's EUROPA '51 about the contradictions and hypocrisies of modern Europe. On the one hand, Cluj becomes the scene of an upswing in tourism and the construction industry; on the other, CONTINENTAL '25 reveals how poverty, homelessness and nationalism are normalised there. Is Orsolya, the lovable heroine of the film, the only one who has retained her humanity?

Romania 2025, Director: Radu Jude, 109 min., Romanian/Hungarian/German with German subtitles

Radu Jude
Born 1977 in Bucharest, Romania. In 2021 he won the Golden Bear with Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, in 2023 he was a member of the Berlinale International Jury.