Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World

Have you ever watched a movie, so eery and absurd that you find yourself asking “What the hell did I sign up for?” Well we did. The crownless king of dark comedy Radu Jude comes through with another production. A reflection on modern day slavery, digital solitude and commercialization. Trust me when I say, you don’t expect how Radu interpret anything. 

A colored, Godardian reappraisal of a Romanian film from 1981, black and white scenes from today… The film is full of twists and turns. It’s directed in a way that makes you question your own perception. Radu Jude is perhaps the only person who is able to reconcile, thematically and aesthetically, the feeling of being alive in the present and of spiralling downwards in the maelstrom of history. 

This total mess of a mix in scenarios and imagery creates an atmosphere so unexpected that you (naturally) crave for something ordinary. Everything is backwards, literally everything. Yet, in this absurdity Radu finds beauty in the geometry of everyday spaces. Sometimes you cringe at the studied shots, other times you get amazed by the simplicity and the beauty behind life itself. It’s honestly such a complex journey. 

Let’s talk script. Just as the title suggests “Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World”. The movie slaps you with hard, cold truth and truth only. The way Radu does it tho… That’s what makes the movie one of a kind. Most of the movie, Angela is on the road. The traffic, the annoyed people, the never ending shifts and Angela’s discomfort; all of them are showcased to us, as we ride along in the passenger seat. It kinda feels like living in Istanbul in a discomforting way. All of your daily problems, the city treating you bad and people getting in your nose are things that you’d expect from reality. Through the right lens, there is an undertone of unity. Little monuments of unity.

I can’t stress this enough. Expect the unexpected. The movie is scattered by design, but never gets lost among its many tendrils of comedy, horror, and drama. Radu has a way of seeing between the lines of the superstructures that connect them, just as he deftly conveys a sense of the many separate but interconnected forces that are pushing us towards our own end of the world. It’s a monument to consistent dark comedy, deeply disturbing journalism from the end of the world, where we all are…

Everything is a content. And in this sea of creation, everyone has their own unique approach. Well, Angela’s approach is “special”. Yeah, let’s say special. After each interview, she films skits with a face filter of a bald, unibrowed man (yes, really) swearing poetically. Matsuo Bashō, Ernst Kantorowicz, Andrew Tate… You name it, Radu referenced it. In a rather crazy way. But let’s face it, in a world that is simultaneously globalised and atomised, what else can we do but shitpost?

We go up and down, wait in traffic, get mad and even madder…All things aside, the film stands as a feminist manifesto where the digital world intersects with the political public landscape. A true reflection of reality.

As we get to the finale and hand-written credits start to roll, we invite you to our playlist inspired by the movie. Because who doesn’t want a cool outro?