MEN OF DEEDS by Paul Negoescu

Trailer  Pressbook

Ilie, a small-town police chief, wants to build a modest comfortable life for himself, but ends up making the wrong choices. Middle-aged and alienated, he feels the need to be a part of something - to build an orchard, even a home. Although dubious things happen in the village, Ilie only sees what suits him. The moment he gets involved in the village marks the beginning of his collapse. In a vacuum of solutions, he tries to be what he has never been before: the justice seeker who arrests everyone guilty.

6 Gopos (national film academy awards) Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Iulian Postelnicu), Best Screenplay (Radu Romaniuc, Oana Tudor), Best Editing (Eugen Kelemen) and Best Supporting Actor (Vasile Muraru).

Sarajevo FF (comp.),  Tirana IFF (comp.), Festival Intl du Film Francophone de Namur (Special Jury Mention, Best Performance Award), Antalya IFF (comp.), CinEast (comp.), Cottbus IFF (Best Actor), Arras IFF (Best Film), IFF of India, Sofia IFF, Istanbul IFF, D`A Barcelona (comp.) Beijing IFF (comp.), SEE Fest LA, Transilvania IFF, Filmfest Sundsvall (Special Mention) a.o.

"...Negoescu (´s)... “Men of Deeds” swept the Romanian Academy Awards this year while also performing at the box office — one of the rare breed of Romanian films straddling the line behind arthouse acclaim and commercial success" - Chris Vourlias VARIETY

"An exceedingly mordant comedy that gradually bleeds out to tragedy" - Guy Lodge VARIETY

"Pitch-dark comedy and sociopolitical commentary collide in Paul Negoescu’s portrait of a bumbling cop"  - Neil Young SCREEN

"Paul Negoescu’s fourth feature comes with one of the best performances in recent Romanian cinema." - Ştefan Dobroiu CINEUROPA

"(The protagonist´s) decisions ultimately transform this tightly plotted police procedural, into an absurd crime caper, eschewing the mordant social realism we’ve come to expect from Romanian cinema, and culminating in perhaps the most hilarious Mexican standoff in recent cinema history." - Patrick Gamble CINEVUE

"Twin Peaks with a surreal and bewildered style" - Giampiero Raganelli QUINLAN

Cast
Iulian Postelnicu – Ilie / Vasile Muraru – Mayor Constantion / Anghel Damian – Vali / Crina Semciuc – Cristina / Daniel Busuioc – Priest Iordan

Crew
Director: Paul Negoescu / Writer: Radu Romaniuc, Oana Tudor / Cinematorgrapher: Ana Drăghici / Editor: Eugen Kelemen / Sound: Marius Leftărache / Music: Marius Leftărache / Art Director: Vanina Geleva / Producer: Anamaria Antoci / Co-producer: Poli Angelova / Production Company: Papillon Film, Tangaj Production, Screening Emotions, Avanpost Production

Technical information
Original Title: OAMENI DE TREABĂ / shooting format: digital / available for screenings: DCP / color / 106 min / sound format: 5.1 / original language: Romanian with English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian subtitles / Papillon Film, Tangaj Production, Screening Emotions, Avanpost Production, Romania 2022