Films
Comparison route: /completedfilms-fixed
Synopsis
The Holy Week, around 1900, somewhere in Romania. The tense relationship between the Jewish innkeeper Leiba and Gheorghe, his Christian employee, reaches the point where the innkeeper decides to expel the latter. Revengeful, Gheorghe promises Leiba that he will return on Easter Night to “settle” his accounts. This threat comes as a last straw against Leiba’s attempts to cohabit with his hostile, anti-Semitic environment. From then on, Leiba will struggle distinguishing between the real danger and the one fabricated by his anxieties, engaging onto a path of transformation leading to extreme consequences.
- Screenplay:
- Andrzei Wajda, Jerzy Andrzejewski
- Cinematography:
- Andrei Butica
- Sound:
- Daniel Soare
- Edit:
- Andrei Lancu, Dana Bunescu
- Music:
- Patricia Kopatchinskaja
- Cast:
- Doru Bem, Ciprian Chiriches, Nicoleta Lefter, Iulian Postelnicu, Gabriel Spahiu
Gallery
Director's statement
When I made "Holy Week", I wanted to examine how prejudice and fear quietly infiltrate everyday life. Set in a rural community during the days leading up to Easter, the film follows a Jewish innkeeper facing growing hostility. I was interested in portraying intolerance not as explosive hatred, but as something gradual, embedded in tradition and rumor. By focusing on gestures, glances, and silences, I allowed tension to accumulate naturally. The film ultimately reveals how fragile coexistence can be when suspicion replaces empathy. Through historical context, I hoped to reflect on contemporary divisions and the persistent danger of scapegoating the “other.”