Synopsis
Foreword: “Weekend with my mother” is an atypical film in Stere Gulea’s filmography, based on Vera Ion’s novel, starring Adela Popescu and Medeea Marinescu in a tense drama about a mother-daughter relationship marked by absence, resentment, and emotional fragility.
Directed by: Stere Gulea
Script by: Stere Gulea, Vera Ion
Cast: Medeea Marinescu, Adela Popescu, Tudor Istodor, Ion Sapdaru, Constantin Ghenescu, Gheorghe Dinică, Andi Vasluianu, Ecaterina Nazare, Florin Zamfirescu, Răzvan Vasilescu
Producer: Irina Chirița
Cinematography by: Marius Panduru
Edited by: Alexandra Gulea
Sound: Cristian Tarnovețchi
Music: Jeremy Adelman
Year: 2009
Category: Feature film
Genre: Drama
Duration: 90 minutes
PLOT SUMMARY
Fifteen years before the events of the film, Luiza (Medeea Marinescu) had left for Spain, leaving her three-year-old daughter, Cristina (Adela Popescu), in the care of relatives. Upon returning to the country, she discovers shocking truths she had been kept in the dark about: her daughter has run away from home, is addicted to drugs, and has a two-year-old daughter whom she left in the care of an orphanage. Racked with guilt, Luiza tries to save Cristina and thus atone for the mistakes of her youth, with only a weekend to do so.
CRITICAL REVIEWS:
“The ending is harsh and doesn’t deserve to be spoiled; it’s one of the many possibilities that narrative improvisation offers, chosen almost at random. However, this might be the advantage of watching the film all the way through — the cascade of surprises that, from a certain point onward, unfold unintentionally and aimlessly.” – Augustin Cupșa, cinepub.ro
“Based on a topic that has been hotly debated in recent times — the fate of children left in the care of relatives by parents who have gone abroad in search of a better life — ‘Weekend with My Mother’ nevertheless offers some intriguing premises and character portraits. Among them: the reunion, years later, between a Moromete-style father (Gheorghe Dinică) and his daughter, now a mother herself (Medeea Marinescu), who in turn is reunited with her own daughter (Cristina, played by Adela Popescu, is a true revelation) — a drug-addicted teenager — whom she abandoned 16 years ago, when she started her life over and married a Spanish millionaire. To this mini-gallery of characters, to complete the soap opera picture, are added — among others — an indifferent father (Florin Zamfirescu) and a rebellious young man nicknamed Glonţ (Tudor Istodor), addicted to hard drugs, with whom the heroine teams up.” – Marian Rădulescu, agenda.liternet.ro
“The actors try to perform with depth, but they have nothing to draw from. Their characters lack substance.” – Iulia Blaga, hotnews.ro
“The only two bright spots for the New Romanian Cinema are Adela Popescu and Vera Ion. The former, though ‘imported’ from the world of soap operas, outshines the more experienced Medeea Marinescu, who fails completely to get into character. The second, despite a few absurd lines (…), has written dialogues that are generally authentic and full of life, in which one can sense her talent as a screenwriter.” – Mihai Fulger, agenda.liternet.ro
“Aside from Adela Popescu’s solid performance (up to a point), the film features some mind-boggling plot twists as well as a few unbelievable missteps. Over the course of a single weekend (!), a drug addict goes from a wretched state to a suddenly sweet one, like a mother’s daughter who’s finally behaving herself.” – Eduard Țone, agenda.liternet.ro
• “It’s not a criminal disaster like “Beyond America” (Gulea’s good taste is evident, as is the eye of Marius Panduru, the director of photography), but — in its desire to turn the story into something ‘super-cool’ — it misses the one ‘trip’ that held promise: the mother-daughter confrontation over the course of a weekend.” – Alex. Leo Șerban, agenda.liternet.ro“Compared to the leading figures of the new generation, he represents a respectable middle ground — a realm of mediocrity accessible to the public, free of compromise and distortion. And compared to the figures of the past, who have fallen en masse into the pit of failure — a fate that can only be somewhat honorable to those who have given up on filmmaking — Stere Gulea proves himself, at the very least, a survivor. Authentic!” – Mihnea Columbeanu, agenda.liternet.ro
TRIVIA:
- The film is produced by MediaPro Pictures with support from the National Center for Cinematography. The film marks actress Adela Popescu’s feature film debut.
- The screenplay is based on Vera Ion’s novel of the same name, published by RAO Publishing House.
- Stere Gulea comes from a branch of the Aromanians that originated in Greece. His grandfather, a leader of the Romanian national movement, was killed by Greek nationalists in 1904.
- He graduated from the Pedagogical Institute and the Faculty of Philology in Constanța, as well as the “I.L. Caragiale” Institute of Theater and Cinematographic Arts in Bucharest, Department of Theater and Film Studies (1970).
- After graduation, he worked as an editor at the Bucharest Film Studio.
- Between 1990 and 1996, he served as dean of the Film Department at ATF.
- He led Romanian Television as interim general director from 1996 to 1998.
- He taught film from 1990 to 2015 at the National University of Theatre and Film (ATF), and since 2001 at the National University of Theatre and Cinematography (UNATC).
- “The Moromete Family” (1987) and “The Moromete Family 2” (2018) remain the director’s most iconic films.
LINES:
• “How can I leave my workplace? What if an inspection comes?” – Trandafir (Rudy Rosenfeld)
• “I told him not to go inside without a mask.” – Trandafir (Rudy Rosenfeld)
• “The engineer signed without checking.” – Judge Atanasiu (Cornel Revent)
• “We did our duty.” — Andrei (Gheorghe Dănilă)
• “Does the witness admit that he tried to mislead the court by making inaccurate statements?” Prosecutor Nicolau (Dorina Lazăr)
• “I made the mistake just once of abandoning certain principles that you’re not allowed to abandon.” — Andrei (Gheorghe Dănilă)
• “Don’t punish me, Comrade Engineer!” — Paraschiv (Valentin Uritescu)
• “You can’t live among people by lying.” — Ciosu (Ion Siminie)
• “Why are you whining like an old woman?” – Oancea (Tudorel Filimon)
• “The second mistake was yet to come.” – Andrei (Gheorghe Dănilă)
• “Freedom is useless, happiness is useless, everything is useless if that moment had haunted me my whole life.” – Andrei (Gheorghe Dănilă)
• “I do not ask for mitigating circumstances.” – Andrei (Gheorghe Dănilă)
ARTICLES:
- Review: “A Sadness”, by Eduard Țone – agenda.liternet.ro
- Review: “The Ridiculousness of Tragedy”, by Marian Rădulescu – agenda.liternet.ro
- Review: “Far from the New Cinema”, by Mihai Fulger – agenda.liternet.ro
- Review: “A Lost Weekend (with Adela Popescu)”, by Alex. Leo Șerban – agenda.liternet.ro
- Review: “Beyond Expectations, Below Necessities”, by Mihnea Columbeanu – agenda.liternet.ro
- Review: “A Step Back for Stere Gulea”, by Iulia Blaga – hotnews.ro
This premiere is part of a national archive project supported by the Romanian National Film Centre.
Special thanks goes to the Romanian Filmmakers Union and to the Romanian Film Archive.
