“Maria “by Claudiu Mitcu – Next screening: Sunday 21 April, Capitole 2, 18:00 Film reviewed by Emma Johnson.
Note: This film will be screened before the film “Tevas” (reviewed here in a previous post)
Buy an online ticket for this film here
Maria is a moving and highly personal documentation of Maria’s last moments in life. This eighteen minute film takes place in one small room, where Maria lies on her bed, still and frail. Yet life is in full force all around her – women come and go, paying their respects to her, looking after her and sharing memories. Maria is a tender account that reaches far beyond the particularities of Romanian customs – it captures the end of one life, while reasserting life’s enduring strengths.
While keeping vigil in this intimate space, the women reflect on children, age, life and the rites surrounding death. A discussion over how many masses one should do for someone who has passed away (various priests had recommended anywhere between 6 and 40 in a year) soon moves onto laughter regarding what another dying friend had said in relation to her inevitable end: ‘I am moving on with my life’. This humour is one example of what makes this film empathetic and wonderful – laughter and life are literally juxtapositioned with death, as the frail Maria sleeps beside them.
There are more considered and philosophical moments, where the women ask themselves who will take care of them when they arrive at a point so close to death. In this depiction of a very specific time and place, under very personal circumstances, there is universal reach. All of us will reach this end, all of us are bound to ask questions about it. But the warmth of this one room, filled with giggles, scolding, love and the other various manifestations of life, provides reassurance. It touches us and shows humanity’s strength.
In addition to the candles, prayers, incense and other rites, the camera also serves as part of the vigil. The filmmaker Claudiu Mitcu maintains the fine balance between being part of what is happening in Maria’s room and documenting it – sometimes the women speak to the camera, sometimes they are observed. It is a respectful rendering of this woman’s last moments.
The end of the film comes abruptly, as the women list the things they will need for the burial and subsequent rites: a clay pot, a coffin (‘This is the most important thing’ one of them reminds the others), plates, garlic, tomatoes . . . This unexpected end, a black out, is a striking and poignant end to a film that provides a warming insight into an intimate life event.