Don't Get Me Wrong

In an institution for the mentally impaired in Calugareni (Romania), Nu te supara, dar follows the everyday existence of its residents and penetrates a hermetic world where the social conventions escape common reasoning. The relationships between these individuals – who apparently find it impossible to integrate into current society – does not correspond to the classical schemas, but reflect precious human values. As a guiding thread through her film, director Adina-Elena Pintilie has chosen the almost uninterrupted conversation between two residents about the great theological subjects, questioning the power of the human creature in the face of the divine will. This interview, heard as voice-over, combined with fragments of piano and direct sound, constitutes the soundtrack and allows the audience to immerse themselves in this new world. The shots of a disabled person lying on his bed, marvelling at the luminous projections on the walls of his room, intercut with routine scenes of everyday life– bath, meal, a walk, singing, reveals the residents’ childlike gift for contemplation. The twenty-seven year old Romanian filmmaker demonstrates a rare artistic and above all human sensibility. In this place, so easily assumed to be full of human squalor, she succeeds in capturing the protagonists’ intrinsic beauty and has made visible these sweet delicate souls, prisoners of their physical deficiencies. Like Abel, suffering from oligophrenia, who for twenty years has spent all his time looking after others with less mobility than he. All day long, he takes care of them, feeds them, changes their napkins and helps them to wash. He performs such tasks with an application, a care and a sense of love that are rarely found. His face expresses the happiness and joy of having been able to help his fellow man. Each seems to have in mind the saying of Saint Augustine, which is cited as an epigraph to the film: “Love and do what you like.” —Festival del film Locarno