Libertate
The revolution in Romania in the last days of 1989 was a confusing affair, because even in the euphoria of the "victory" over the Ceauşescu dictatorship, new authorities were already beginning to establish themselves. Tudor Giurgiu tells about this using the example of Sibiu and literally from below: Viorel Stanese of the judicial police is arrested as a "terrorist" and imprisoned in an empty swimming pool with many other alleged enemies of the revolution. Giurgiu shows the revolution as a chaotic process of seizing power. A whole series of figures from the apparatuses, but also young representatives of civil society, find themselves on the wrong side of history. The empty swimming pool becomes a gathering place for the losers of the revolution, and thus a symbol of post-communist Romania. (Film Museum Munich)
Through the eye of a handheld camera viewers are confronted with a chaotic choreography of people running for their lives and finding their way in a moral vacuum after the toppling of a dictatorship. The film asks the question: what values will we fall back to when we are put to the test in a political and existential crisis? Are we willing to bring a sacrifice for the common good or are we only serving our personal interests? Despite the collapse of the state, we see individuals making efforts to follow ethical values wanting to reconstruct a society based on justice, peace and reconciliation. We are witnessing the historical situation in Rumania 1989 and at the same time this film offers us a story people all over the world can relate to. By telling stories like this Tudor Giurgiu invites cinema audiences to remember that you don’t have to be a hero to make a difference.