Otto Barbarul

Otto finds refuge with his girlfriend's mother. Smoking in the kitchen, the two brave the pain together. Only the children's room remains taboo. At home he takes refuge in video footage of old that raises the question of whether Otto might have known about his girlfriend's impending suicide. With surprising tenderness he devotes himself to his demented grandfather Bubu in the narrow prefabricated apartment, which has long been too small for the family. Full of hidden hints behind the mask of the rebel, the leading actor Marc Titieni sensitively paints a picture of a clever, thoughtful boy who is in shock but does not want to admit it. The camera follows him closely but unobtrusively. Employing a great deal of ingenuity director Ruxandra Ghitescu succeeds in breathing new life into a barren concrete world in this film about dealing with the loss of a loved one. JJ