Aferim! (2015)

Comedy, Drama, Adventure, History, Western

Director: Radu Jude
Writers: Radu Jude, Florin Lazarescu
Starring: Teodor Corban, Mihai Comanoiu, Toma Cuzin, Alexandru Dabija

Eastern Europe, 1835. Two riders cross a barren landscape in the middle of Wallachia (Romania). They are the gendarme Costandin and his son. Together they are searching for a gypsy slave who has run away from his nobleman master and is suspected of having an affair with the noble's wife. While the unflappable Costandin comments on every situation with a cheery aphorism, his son takes a more contemplative view of the world. On their odyssey they encounter people of different nationalities and beliefs: Turks and Russians, Christians and Jews, Romanians and Hungarians. Each harbors prejudices against the others which have been passed down from generation to generation. And even when the slave Carfin is found, the adventure is far from over...

Plot summary from IMDb: Set in early 19th century Wallachia, when a local policeman, Costandin, is hired by Iordache, a boyar (local noble), to find Carfin, a Gypsy slave who had run away from the boyar's estate after having an affair with his wife, Sultana. Costandin sets out to find the fugitive, beginning a journey full of adventures. Gypsy slavery lasted from the 14th century up until the middle of the 19th century, a situation which is very little known and almost nonexistent in the public debate today, although its impact continues to influence Romania's social life.

Awards: 23 wins & 7 nominations.
Runtime: 108 min
Not R