Romanian auteur Radu Jude, known for his provocative and socially incisive cinema, returns with Kontinental ’25, a bold and satirical drama starring Eszter Tompa, Gabriel Spahiu, Adonis Tanța, and an ensemble cast navigating the moral fallout of a tragic eviction.
Kontinental ’25 premiered at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay. Since its Berlinale debut, the film has screened at an impressive lineup of international festivals, including the Luxembourg City Film Festival, CPH:DOX, the Hong Kong International Film Festival, the Sydney Film Festival, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the Sarajevo Film Festival, and it had its North American premiere at the 2025 New York Film Festival.
It is slated to open in select US theaters on Friday, March 27.
Here is the synopsis: When Orsolya oversees the eviction of a local elderly man in Cluj, Transylvania, the unintended consequences come to shatter her and her understanding of her place in society. Spiraling into an existential crisis, she traverses the city, meeting with various people in her life — her husband, an old friend, her former student, a priest — to consider and reconcile her place in an increasingly maddening modern world in award-winning filmmaker Radu Jude’s latest furious and hysterical moral parable.
Director Radu Jude has reflected on his intentions for Kontinental ’25, emphasizing the film’s moral and aesthetic motivations. Speaking to journalists at the Berlin Film Festival, he explained that the story, inspired by a real news article, drew him in because of its emotionally charged and complex subject matter: “The bailiff’s reaction struck me at the same time as being extremely moving and extremely questionable.”
Watch the official trailer for Kontinental ’25 above.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.