<p class="bodytext">Romanian cinema loves poking around in its own attic. Here, filmmaker Radu Jude and philosopher Christian Ferencz-Flatz dig up the colourful world of 1990s and early 2000s TV commercials and stitch them into a brisk scrapbook. In ‘Eight Postcards from Utopia’, the only ghost in the frame is consumerism.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The ads are split into chapters. ‘History of Romania’ runs from ancient Dacia selling Pepsi to a Ceaușescu rally pushing mobile phones. ‘Money Talks’ shows a weary actor repeating, “We all strive to multiply your money” <br />on loop. ‘Technological Revolution’ links detergents to meat factories through the magic of tech. ‘Magique Mirage’ serves bargain VFX and stop-motion tricks. ‘The Ages of Man’ moves from baby milk to posthumous phone plans. ‘Found Poetry’ gathers grand declarations and rap-infused pitches. ‘The Anatomy of Consumption’ lingers on a chocolate bite, a hand caress and the eyes-closed inhale, while ‘Masculine Feminine’ lines up gender clichés.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sometimes the sound drops, leaving only surreal, bright images. Ads sell everything from soft drinks and sausages to Dracula theme parks, privatisation shares and mobile phones. Some clips are universal, others uniquely Romanian. At times it feels too abstract, but the charm is in the details. For an ad filmmaker, it is a ready study in persuasion and how it ages.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It is funny, sharp in bursts, and nostalgic. The same experiment could work in India, where decades of jingles could map a similar journey. Good stuff may stay good through bad times. Nonsense just lingers, like a jingle you cannot shake.</p>
<p class="bodytext">Romanian cinema loves poking around in its own attic. Here, filmmaker Radu Jude and philosopher Christian Ferencz-Flatz dig up the colourful world of 1990s and early 2000s TV commercials and stitch them into a brisk scrapbook. In ‘Eight Postcards from Utopia’, the only ghost in the frame is consumerism.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The ads are split into chapters. ‘History of Romania’ runs from ancient Dacia selling Pepsi to a Ceaușescu rally pushing mobile phones. ‘Money Talks’ shows a weary actor repeating, “We all strive to multiply your money” <br />on loop. ‘Technological Revolution’ links detergents to meat factories through the magic of tech. ‘Magique Mirage’ serves bargain VFX and stop-motion tricks. ‘The Ages of Man’ moves from baby milk to posthumous phone plans. ‘Found Poetry’ gathers grand declarations and rap-infused pitches. ‘The Anatomy of Consumption’ lingers on a chocolate bite, a hand caress and the eyes-closed inhale, while ‘Masculine Feminine’ lines up gender clichés.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sometimes the sound drops, leaving only surreal, bright images. Ads sell everything from soft drinks and sausages to Dracula theme parks, privatisation shares and mobile phones. Some clips are universal, others uniquely Romanian. At times it feels too abstract, but the charm is in the details. For an ad filmmaker, it is a ready study in persuasion and how it ages.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It is funny, sharp in bursts, and nostalgic. The same experiment could work in India, where decades of jingles could map a similar journey. Good stuff may stay good through bad times. Nonsense just lingers, like a jingle you cannot shake.</p>