Classic Romanian novel gets second screen version

Moromeții 2, a film adaptation of Marin Preda’s novel Moromeții, will start shooting in mid-September. The film will be directed by Stere Gulea, who also directed the first Moromeții film 30 years ago. The first film, which is considered a landmark of Romanian cinema, closely followed the novel. Moromeții 2 will be based on the second volume of Moromeții, on Marin Preda’s 1977 partly-autobiographical novel Viața ca o pradă and on other works of the novelist. The script of Moromeții 2 resumes the story of the Moromete family after the Second World War, as Communism is settling in the country. The two main characters, Ilie Moromete and his son Niculae, have opposing views of the political and social changes and are always in conflict because of this. “Moromeții 2 is an extremely challenging enterprise, because excellent models already exist: the novel and the previous film, which, to my joy, has become rather popular. It is a film that takes place in a harsher period, more agitated, when a new political system is being installed. There is a lot of worry and fear. And the world we used to know is actually disappearing. This is what attracted me to the idea of doing a sequel. I wanted to take all the way the odyssey of these characters who survived up to the 50s era of collectivization. It is an homage to this world,” director Stere Gulea explained. The shooting for this second film will take place in the same village and the same house where the first film was shot, during the summer of 1985, namely Talpa, in Teleorman county. The village is located 45 kilometers away from Alexandria and only a few kilometers away from Siliştea-Gumești, the village where author Marin Preda was born. The house will be redone by production designer Cristian Niculescu, and the center of the village will be recreated completely. Several scenes will be shot in Bucharest, in November, and others in Slatina. The cast includes Horațiu Mălăele (as Ilie Moromete - pictured), Dana Dogaru (Catrina Moromete), Iosif Paștina (Niculae), alongside Răzvan Vasilescu, George Mihăiță, Andi Vasluianu, Oana Pellea, Ion Caramitru, Gheorghe Visu, Florin Zamfirescu, Marian Râlea, Paul Ipate, Cuzin Toma, Liviu Pintileasa, and Dorina Chiriac. One of Stere Gulea’s most recent films is I’m a Communist Biddy, based on the novel of the same name, written by Dan Lungu. The novel was