Winner of the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlinale, Bad Luck Banging Or Loony Porn is a shocking, provocative but thought-provoking look at society’s relationship with pornography.
Emi, a school teacher, finds her career and reputation under threat after a personal sex tape is leaked on the Internet. Forced to meet the parents demanding her dismissal, Emi refuses to surrender to their pressure.
The film begins with a bang… well banging, to be more accurate. It opens straight into a home video of two lovers engaging in consensual sex. It is intimate, graphic and shocking to behold. It is a bold tactic from director Radu Jude, as some filmmakers may have only discussed the sex tape that sets the whole film in motion. Never actually showing the act in question.
By having the audience witness the video themselves, they become complicit in Edi’s plight. There might be some viewers who find it too much and leave but then what were they expecting from a film with this premise? For those who watch the whole film, they may not wished to have seen the video but they have watched it all the same. They have become voyeurs, violating her privacy.
The film unfolds over three chapters. The first follows Edi as she walks around Bucharest in the aftermath of the video appearing online. Not only is she in a state of fear, anger and panic, the city is also. Walking the quiet streets, past people wearing masks, it is clear it is set during the current pandemic. People’s frustrations with life, government, society, etc are at an all-time high. Many are at a tipping point and something like the potential faux outrage over someone’s private life being exposed to the world is enough for some to use it as an outlet for their anger.
The second chapter does not feature Edi and instead is a scattershot A-Z trip through Romania’s histories and controversies. Meant to give viewers a glimpse into the country’s complicated past, it feels like being bombarded with pop-ups after clicking on the eponymous video.
When we finally get to the third act and Edi finally gets her moment to defend herself against her pupils’ parents, the film truly comes alive.
After being forced to sit there while the group watch the video again under the proviso of that everyone can fully understand the situation, Edi tears down her opponents with the skill of a highly trained barrister. Here the film explores issues of consent, privacy, exploitation and more.
The hypocrisy stinks to high heaven. Parents are furious that their kids are watching her video however what are they doing to monitor their own children’s behaviour and internet use.
There is a wonderful line of dialogue that not only sums up the mob mentality featured here but also of social media channels where there is no governance. “The more idiotic the opinion the more important it is”. Ain’t that the truth.
This is a bold film that wants to confrontational however its impact comes too late… pardon the pun.
Bad Luck Banging Or Loony Porn is in cinemas from November 26
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Director: Radu Jude
Stars: Katia Pascariu, Claudia Ieremiu, Olimpia Malai
Runtime: 106 minutes
Country: Romania
