Romanian movie “Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn” (Babardeala cu bucluc sau porno balamuc), 2021, features Emi Cilibiu (Katia Pascariu), a school teacher, who faces deep trouble as her private sex tape with her own husband Eugen (Stefan Steel) leaks online. This debacle threatens her job and reputation as angry parents demand her immediate removal.
Yet, Emi, determined to fight, refuses to bow to this adversity. The film unfolds in a post-Soviet landscape, where poverty and consumerism coalesce into a bleak yet oddly humorous existence. It could be Ukraine or Moldova, though the film depicts the capital city, presenting provincial dread in all its glory.
The film is a sensory assault with its cacophony of rude encounters, relentless advertising, and crumbling buildings. It reminded me about my last visit to Russia in 2005, only with more porn and less vodka. Speaking of which, prepare yourself for a staggering amount of explicit content. Apparently, if you’re going to make a point about voyeurism, you might as well go all in.
Constant shopping scenes highlight the ultimate pleasure goals of a third-world country, and the film is laden with lazy insults, casual rudeness, and “fuck you” in place of greetings.
The camera behaves like a stalker, losing interest in human targets to focus on building facades or voting campaign posters. This technique contributes to an emotional portrait of a country steeped in turmoil. Mask-wearing characters, in true Florida style, let their masks dangle uselessly. They comply with pandemic protocols without understanding, just going through the motions.
Romanian director Radu Jude’s Golden Bear-winning film might not mirror everyone’s pandemic experience, but the feelings of frustration and absurdity are universal. The headmistress (Claudia Ieremia) forces Emi into a parent-teacher conference during the pandemic, where self-righteousness and nastiness are on full display. Masks allow characters to hide their true faces, much like students wearing them now during protests to support dubious causes.
The film, divided into three parts, begins with Emi’s day leading up to the conference. She encounters catcalls and relentless capitalist advertising, with long shots of decrepit buildings adding tension. Emi’s interactions with oblivious jackasses, unaware of her scandal, underscore the absurdity.
The second act, an incoherent montage of Romania’s societal ills, highlights the country’s history of fascism, science-denial, and misogyny. This montage, switching seamlessly between past and present, shows how little has changed. Though sometimes confusing and distanced from Emi’s dilemma, it carries a strange poignancy that resonates.
The third act brings Emi to the school, where the constant bickering among characters becomes tiresome. The writing projects an intense standoff, but the reality is an endless spiel culminating in an insane ending. The film opens with the explicit sex tape, not for realism, but to force viewers into voyeurism. The third act’s “trial” scene sees parents mocking and leering, reflecting the audience’s initial reaction.
The film’s three chapters each serve a purpose: the first shows Emi’s pandemic-stricken city, the second offers a glossary of societal issues, and the third presents the trial. Jude’s stance is clear, but he offers three endings, leaving the final judgment to the viewer.
“Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn” portrays sex in Romania through a bizarre dictionary of terms, suggesting that being born there is a raw deal in either gender. The film critiques the universal desire to pry into others’ lives, whether it’s a president or a school teacher.
The leering and destruction of privacy are terrifyingly real.
This film is a chaotic satire mocking our regressive tendencies, heightened by the pandemic. For those who appreciate pretentious imagery and unsimulated sex, it offers a frantic look at society’s decline. Love it or hate it, its chaotic energy mirrors the insanity of our times.
Please refrain from entertaining yourself with any psychedelic during this movie as its loud and disturbing scenes are an epitome of what set and setting should never be. But bring vodka. Lots and lots of it. That is how Eastern Europeans survive their surroundings.
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