Romanian Film Review: Arsenie. An Amazing Afterlife, the Long Night of Romanian Film, and cinema Victoria’s anniversary

The summer-y abundance of events is still happening, and this weekend alone you can see one of the year's most talked-about docs (rightfully so), spend the night in various cities watching some of this year’s pics, and celebrating cinema Victoria in Timișoara.

Alexandru Solomon’s Arsenie.Viața de apoi/ Arsenie. An Amazing Afterlife is one film you should catch while you still can as the theatrical distribution of Romanian productions, especially documentaries, is short-lived. Solomon has been making topical pics for decades, and this might be his most incendiary yet. The performative documentary looks at the public adoration (or obsession, depending on your perspective) surrounding Arsenie Boca, a monk and theologian, very popular and thus persecuted by the communist regime, who died in the autumn of 1989. He has gained a huge cult in recent years, with masses or people going on pilgrimage to his grave believing in all sorts of miracles, and – with terrifically efficient pop marketing – being ubiquitous, his face on everything from candles to mugs. The Church itself safeguards the image of the priest and has been considering his proposed canonization. If you are unfamiliar with him, Google will help with a background on the phenomenon, but beware, you might fall into a rabbit hole of historical facts mixed with religious fervour.