ÎNTREGALDE World Cinema

Following the theatrical screening, watch a special conversation with director Radu Muntean moderated by AFI Festivals Programmer Malin Kan.

From Romanian writer-director Radu Muntean, this intelligent and engaging parable/thriller replete with dark humor and high tension premiered at the 2021 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, featuring a shockingly honest depiction of the often-self-serving nature and limitations of altruism. Winding deep into the Romanian mountainside, three humanitarian aid workers intend to deliver packages to the impoverished rural inhabitants before Christmas, but their mission is diverted when they offer a ride to an elderly man along the side of the road, and they find themselves suddenly stranded. Trapped overnight in the cold Romanian forest, the disconnect between those offering aid and those receiving it widens, and attitudes begin to shift along with the realization that the trio may need to brave circumstances that locals find exceedingly ordinary. –Malin Kan