Authority Figures in Post-Revolutionary Society: Examining Romanian Attitudes Toward the Police in Pororoca and Police, Adjective

Abstract

The Romanian New Wave is intensely focused on Romania’s history and identity. There is a self-reflexiveness in these films, an awareness of communism’s lingering shadow. Police, Adjective’s examination of the Romanian police force from the inside offers a harsh outlook on the Romanian bureaucracy. Pororoca, on the other hand, examines the police from the point of view of an average citizen, and its ending gives us a dark vision of a society in which we cannot hope for justice. These two films provide us with a frame of reference for understanding the Romanian New Wave and its attitude toward the Romanian Police.