Between reality and the imagination. That is the frontier along which the Romanian film
Never Muta
(
Silent Wedding
, now on Netflix) moves. A feature film about how absurd history can be, about how individual destinies are destroyed by collective blindness and how the liveliest comedy can degenerate into tragedy. “It is a true story that took place in the Eastern European bloc, when humanity was in a curious and inexplicable lethargy,” explains Horatiu Malaele, director of the film and actor. Specifically, about the absurdities that Stalin's death caused in the countries of the communist bloc of Eastern Europe. And about how that episode has remained engraved in the popular imagination of Romania, as demonstrated by the success that the film has had there.
More information
The day Stalin died, by Manu Legineche
A team of journalists goes to a remote village in the Moldovan region of Romania that is populated only by elderly women. The democratic mayor tells them about the incident that occurred in the spring of 1953 when Mara and Iancu decided to get married. The wedding was taking place on March 5 of that year when, in the middle of the ceremony, Stalin's death was announced. Several dozen people were already celebrating when the village councilor, together with the commander of the tank regiment, informed them of the death of the Soviet dictator and that seven days of international mourning had been imposed. No type of event could be organized, not even funerals.
However, the groom's father-in-law does not agree to suspend the celebration, because he does not want all the food to spoil - they had proceeded to the traditional
taierea porcului
or slaughter of the pig to feed the diners - nor to send his guests home, some of them from distant provinces. At that moment, he comes up with the idea of “silence” the wedding and move it inside a modest home. They cover the windows with wooden boards to prevent any sound from giving away the fun of the party.
The body of Soviet leader Stalin lies in the House of Trade Unions, in Moscow, in 1953. Keystone (Getty Images)
While they drink, those present feel more comfortable and in greater party spirit, until they forget the vow of silence to which they had committed themselves. At that moment, the ceremony becomes a noisy and authentic party. At the peak of their activity, they hear a humming sound from outside. Suddenly, the cannon of a Soviet tank bursts into the house and completely destroys the living room wall.
All the men end up deported, while the women remain alone for the rest of their lives. Only the bride sees her husband again 13 years later, when he is released. Iancu returns alone to die in peace. “I wanted to make a film that would speak to the world, with tenderness, about love in a miraculous space that gives rise to eternity, that would tell the world about the dictatorship and its consequences in a community and, respectively, in the family” , emphasizes Malaele, while emphasizing that Stalin's death unleashed an enormous absurdity, "not only in Romania, but in all communist countries."
Communist Romania
The story is not historically documented, as facts are spoken of based only on oral accounts, says Mihai Burcea, an expert on Romanian totalitarianism. But he reflects how that episode was experienced in Romania. “The authorities mobilized millions of people to participate in mourning rallies throughout Romania. Officially, the regime made it clear that the entire country was suffering greatly from the 'enormous' loss, although it is impossible to estimate exactly how many people voluntarily complied and sincerely mourned the death of the Generalissimo, how many did so as a façade, and how many rejoiced," he says. Burcea. “One thing is clear: in the public space it was impossible to express joy at Stalin's death, since it would have meant his immediate arrest, risking at least five years in prison for a hostile attitude,” the historian remarks.
At that time, Romania had been a popular republic for five years, after the forced abdication of King Michael on December 30, 1947, being under the close supervision of Moscow, like all the Eastern European countries where they were stationed. Soviet army troops. The country was plagued by forced labor camps and penitentiaries, and the Securitate (the fearsome secret police) was omnipotent, arresting and terrorizing real or imagined enemies of the regime.
Stalinist-era buildings in Bucharest, in 2022.Universal History Archive
In the first five years, the Bucharest regime began a series of large-scale and extremely expensive works, such as the construction of the Danube-Black Sea canal and the fortifications on the border with Yugoslavia, the latter in the context of the so-called “anti-Titoist fever.” ” started by Stalin. Among those who believe the truth of the story is Irina Nistor, a current critic, although she is better known as the broadcaster who became the unexpected voice of freedom in the death throes of the communist dictatorship, in the 1990s. 80.
“History reflects how unpredictable the Russians are and how vengeful they can be,” says Nistor, who dubbed thousands of smuggled films that allowed us to dream of another reality, from classics like
Taxi Driver
or
Last Tango in Paris
to action movies like
Rambo
or those starring Chuck Norris. “
Mute Wedding
does justice to those people who suffered from Sovietization in the country,” he adds. The “man of steel,” as Stalin called himself, exacerbated the dark humor among Romanians that persists today.
“It is said that Romania is a sad country, but full of humor; I believe that our life oscillates between two states, comedy, drama and absurdity. And this is good. One-sidedness is frustrating and false,” says Malaele, who reveals that critics described his film as surrealist: “Constantin Brancusi, Emil Cioran, Mircea Eliade and Eugène Ionesco were born and lived here, so visit Romania and surrealism will become a reality.” .
Subscribe to continue reading
Read without limits
Keep reading
I am already a subscriber
_