Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World

Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World
Locarno release poster
RomanianNu astepta prea mult de la sfârsitul lumii
Directed byRadu Jude
Written byRadu Jude
Produced byRadu Jude
Adrian Sitaru
Ada Solomon
Starring
CinematographyMarius Panduru
Edited byCătălin Cristuțiu
Release date
  • 4 August 2023 (2023-08-04) (Locarno)
Running time
163 minutes
CountriesRomania
Croatia
France
Luxembourg
LanguagesRomanian
English
Box office$92,360[1]

Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (Romanian: Nu aștepta prea mult de la sfârșitul lumii) is a 2023 satirical[2] absurdist[3] dark comedy film written and directed by Radu Jude. It stars Ilinca Manolache with supporting performances by Nina Hoss and Uwe Boll. It is a co-production among Romania, Croatia, France and Luxembourg.

The film premiered at the main competition of the 2023 Locarno Film Festival,[4] where it received widespread critical acclaim, and the Special Jury Prize.[5][6][7] Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World was later screened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival and at the 2023 New York Film Festival. It was selected as Romanian entry in the Best International Feature Film category for the 96th Academy Awards on 8 September 2023.[8]

Premise

The film has been described as a "(t)ale of Cinema and Economics in Two Parts: overworked and underpaid, Angela drives around the city of Bucharest to film the casting for a 'safety at work video' commissioned by a multinational company."[9] The film contains footage (sometimes put into slow motion or still frame) of a 1981 film about a female taxi driver in Bucharest (Angela merge mai departe, by Lucian Bratu). Modern day Angela visits many of the locations used in the 1981 film, and the shooting and content of her own Tiktok videos are also included. The second, much shorter section of the film consists of the shooting of the safety promotion campaign video in front of the entrance to the chosen employee's factory.

Cast

  • Ilinca Manolache as Angela
  • Nina Hoss as Doris Goethe
  • Katia Pascariu
  • Sofia Nicolaescu
  • Uwe Boll as himself
  • László Miske as Gyuri
  • Ovidiu Pîrsan
  • Dorina Lazar as Angela
  • Alex M. Dascalu as Dan Trofăilă

Production

The title comes from an aphorism by Stanislaw Jerzy Lec.[10] The film is Jude's longest fiction film so far.[11]

Release

Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World premiered at the 2023 Locarno Film Festival on 4 August 2023,[12] where it received the Special Jury Prize.[7] It was also invited at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in 'Icon' section and was screened on 5 October 2023.[13]

Mubi had acquired all rights of the film for the US, as well as streaming rights in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, India, Turkey and Latin America.[14] The film was released on Mubi on 4 May 2024.

The film was released theatrically in Romania on 27 October 2023.[15]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 74 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "As unique and breathlessly expansive as its title, Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World adds to the evidence supporting Radu Jude's status as a uniquely gifted and provocative filmmaker."[16] On the Metacritic website the movie has a score of 95 out of 100 indicating "universal acclaim" making it the highest reviewed movie of 2023[17].

In his review for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw described Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World as follows: "Freewheeling essay-movie-slash-black-comedy collage takes swipes from all angles at modern life.".[18] Matthew Joseph Jenner, writing for the International Cinephile Society, stated that the film is "a truly ambitious, beautifully complex, and deeply compelling masterpiece of purely playful postmodernism, which has never been more urgently required than it is at the present moment".[19] The film also received very positive reviews in Indie Wire,[20] Le Monde,[21] D Movies,[22] Screen Daily[23] and Deadline,[24] among others.[25][26]

Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World was ranked seventh on Cahiers du Cinéma's top 10 films of 2023 list.[27]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (2024)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 29 April 2024.Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ Grierson, Tim (20 March 2024). "Review: 'Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World' is media satire at its most darkly funny". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  3. ^ Chang, Justin (22 March 2024). "The Form-Blurring Fury of "Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World"". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  4. ^ Vourlias, Christopher (3 August 2023). "Golden Bear Winner Radu Jude, Competing in Locarno, Readies New Found-Footage Documentary on Post-Socialist Romania (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  5. ^ "Radu Jude partiu a loiça toda em Locarno com uma sátira endiabrada aos tempos que correm". Expresso (in Portuguese). 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  6. ^ webmagnat. "Filmul "Nu aştepta prea mult de la sfârşitul lumii", aplaudat la Festivalul de Film de la Locarno". www.ziarulevenimentul.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  7. ^ a b "The Pardo d'oro at Locarno76 goes to Mantagheye bohrani (Critical…". Locarno Film Festival. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  8. ^ Lodderhose, Diana (8 September 2023). "Mubi Acquires 'Do Not Expect Too Much From The End Of The World' For Key Territories, Film Selected As Romania's Oscar Entry — Toronto". Deadline. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Nu aștepta prea mult de la sfârșitul lumii". Locarno Film Festival. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  10. ^ "Nu aștepta prea mult de la sfârșitul lumii | Cinefan". cinefan.ro. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  11. ^ Dima, Flavia. "Nu aștepta prea mult de la sfârșitul lumii – Viii cu viii, morții cu morții". Films in Frame. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World - The Film Verdict". 4 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  13. ^ "The 28th Busan International Film Festival: Selection List". Busan International Film Festival. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  14. ^ Lodderhose, Diana (8 September 2023). "Mubi Acquires 'Do Not Expect Too Much From The End Of The World' For Key Territories, Film Selected As Romania's Oscar Entry — Toronto". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  15. ^ "Filmul românesc care i-a dat pe spate pe elvețieni. "Parţial comedie, parţial road movie, parţial montaj"". Ziare.com (in Romanian). Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  16. ^ "Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  17. ^ "Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World Reviews". www.metacritic.com. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  18. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (4 August 2023). "Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World review – giddy Romanian experiment". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  19. ^ Matthew Joseph Jenner (4 August 2023). "Locarno 2023 review: Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World (Radu Jude)". International Cinephile Society. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  20. ^ Kaufman, Sophie Monks (4 August 2023). "'Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World' Review: Radu Jude's Marvelous Satire Skewers a Range of Modern Absurdities". IndieWire. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  21. ^ "A Locarno, " Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World ", de Radu Jude, hypnotise les festivaliers". Le Monde.fr (in French). 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  22. ^ "Do not Expect too Much from the End of the World (Nu Astepta Prea Mult de la Sfârsitul Lumii) - film review". DMovies. 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  23. ^ Hunter2023-08-04T15:15:00+01:00, Allan. "'Do Not Expect Too Much From The End Of The World': Locarno Review". Screen. Retrieved 5 August 2023.{cite web}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ Wise, Damon (5 August 2023). "'Do Not Expect Too Much From The End Of The World' Review: Radu Jude's Complex Satire Leaves A Bitter Aftertaste – Locarno Film Festival". Deadline. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  25. ^ "Festivales: Crítica de "Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World", película del rumano Radu Jude con Ilinca Manolache y Nina Hoss (Competencia Internacional) - #Locarno2023 - Otros Cines". www.otroscines.com. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  26. ^ Arnone, Gianluca. "Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World". www.cinematografo.it (in Italian). Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  27. ^ Zilko, Christian (1 December 2023). "Cahiers du Cinema Names Best Films of 2023, Including 'Anatomy of a Fall' and 'Close Your Eyes'". IndieWire. Retrieved 1 December 2023.