Two friends, having had a glass too much, start a tavern brawl, breaking some glasses and the waiter’s head. They are pressured by the authorities to reenact their fight in front of the camera for an “educational” film about the dangers of alcohol. The inept state functionaries directing the film have no idea what they’re doing and the crew botches take after take, forcing the young men to fight all afternoon. Beginning as a comedy but ending as a bitter critique of communist oppression, the film caught the eye of Ceauşescu’s regime: it was banned and the director prohibited from filming in Romania for a decade. Reenactment has been a major influence on Romanian new wave filmmakers.

Subtitles: HR