Working People, a film about a rural policeman who finds himself at the center of brutal events, will be released on Netflix on April 25. HotNews.ro interviewed director Paul Negoescu about the feature film, which has already collected ten nominations at the Gopo Awards Gala.

On November 25, the premiere of the fourth full-length film by director Paul Negoescu took place in Romanian cinemas after “A Month in Thailand”, “Two Lottery Tickets” and “The Story of a Summer Loser”. Five months after that, on April 25, Business People will also be released on Netflix.

Also, on April 25, the Gopo Awards gala ceremony will take place, at which “Oameni de treabă” managed to collect ten nominations, including: Best Feature Film, Best Director – Paul Negoescu, Best Actor in a Leading Role – Julian Postelniku, Best Screenplay – Radu Romaniuk and Oana Tudor and others.

Straddling the line between black comedy and thriller, the film tells the story of Ila, a middle-aged rural policeman whose past mistakes and a series of brutal events in the community push him into a situation from which there is no escape.

Appreciated by both viewers and critics, “Working People” evoked positive reviews from the international press.

Variety wrote about Negoescu’s film: “Ilya is depicted not banally as a good person in a bad system, and not even as a villain. Rather, he is a victim, a man so absurdly entangled in a culture of corruption that it is hard to tell where his own impulses and principles begin and end. Only a Romanian film can make this story funny.”

Those with Screen International they also had words of praise: “Like the Coen brothers and Tarantino, Negoescu steers the course of action in the territory of the western in the closing stages, with Elijah becoming the equivalent of a sheriff who belatedly turns the gun on the bad guys.”

Another achievement of “Working People” is that it will also be released in cinemas in America this year. HotNews.ro spoke to Paul Negoescu about all this, as well as his upcoming film, the long-awaited sequel to “Doua lozuri”.

Paul Negoescu on comparisons with the Coen brothers or Tarantino: “Flattery, but unrealistic”

Directed by Paul Negoescu. PHOTO: Primozh Koroshets

What was it about the story of “Business People” that drew you to the film? At what point did you decide that you would direct this film?

Paul Negoescu: I liked the script from the first reading because it kept me engaged and in suspense, and the ending was funny. But the main reason was the portrait of the main character, which always interested me.

The British publication Screen International compared “Working People” to a western by the Coen brothers or Tarantino. What do you think about this parallel?

Nice, but unrealistic. It’s like comparing an A division soccer player to Messi. They may be similar in build, pace, both hit the ball and (sometimes) score, but in completely different conditions. Side by side they are different species in different universes.

The juries of some foreign film festivals praised Julian Postelnik in the role of Ilya. How did you choose him for the role of a police officer?

I agree that Julian is a very talented actor and he plays very well. At least I had nothing to complain about. Whoever says that there are no more actors in Romania would like to see Iulian in a role, and not necessarily in my film, but also in “Un etaj mai jos” by Radu Muntian or “Arrest” by Andrii Kohn.

I noticed Julian in these films and couldn’t help but be happy when I found out that he is Moldovan. Because, yes, we had a long casting call because we were looking for a Moldovan actor who could speak with an accent.

At first I was looking for actors from Botosani and Iași area (where we shot and where the film takes place), then I expanded the search area to actors from the south of Moldova or the Republic of Moldova. Julian is from Fokshan, so I got to him later.

“Working People” has already won numerous awards and ten nominations at the Gopo Awards. What are your next expectations for this film, especially since it premieres on Netflix on April 25?

When I make a film, I want it to be seen as much as possible, and any type of promotion and publicity helps it get exposure so the world hears about it. Awards and nominations help make a film known in the absence of a significant advertising budget.

By releasing it on Netflix, it has an extra chance to be seen by those who didn’t see it while it was in theaters.

Regarding the Gopo Awards, I like to quote Woody Allen, who is famous for always refusing to attend the Oscars, saying that it’s a stupid concept, that art can’t be measured in sports terms, that there is no such thing as a “best picture,” but rather that to be the “favorite movie” of the majority, which is something else.

Furthermore, he also said that one cannot accept the judgment of others, that if he agrees when some say he deserves an award, he should also agree when they say he does not deserve it.

Actor Vasile Muraru in the film “Working People”. PHOTO: Personal archive/ Paul Negoescu

“Working People” will also be released this year in the US. How does a Romanian film get into distribution abroad and what does that mean for you?

It is very difficult to distribute anywhere outside of Romania, especially in the US, where the market is extremely competitive. Don’t assume that US distribution means the film will get the same popularity as American blockbusters that are distributed to thousands of theaters across America.

A film like “Working People” is released in several cinemas in big cities where there is an audience interested in such a film. The good fortune of our film was that the same American distributor had also distributed my previous film, Two Lotteries, which was very well received by American critics, and thus decided to give Working People a chance.

“Oameni de treabă” is about Romanian corruption, a kind of portrait of it, especially in the countryside, or is it about corruption in general?

“Working People” is primarily about a man trying to cope with the world in which he lives, juggling between his duty as a policeman and service to the mayor of the city.

The whole story of corruption is the background against which this character stands out, who, even when he offers small bets, also misses them.

The fact (totally coincidental) that I am Romanian and the film is spoken in Romanian and is set in Romania does not mean that it is a film about corruption in Romania. In theory, it could happen anywhere, especially since it’s not exactly a movie that fully respects reality.

Why would you recommend that someone watch Working People on Netflix?

Because this is a film that has both humor and tension. This is not a movie to get bored, I think it has the ability to hold the viewer’s attention throughout the entire viewing. And because they will have the opportunity to see the convincing performance of Julian Postelnik, other very good well-known actors such as Krina Semchuk, Vasile Muraru or Angel Damian, as well as actors who are less used in cinema, from theaters in Iasi, Botosani or Suceava.

Actress Krina Semchuk. PHOTO: Personal archive/ Paul Negoescu

About “Lottery of Two 2”: “A story about three friends who try to get rich by mining cryptocurrencies”

Also tell us a little about “Lottery of two 2”. What made you want to do part two? And what can you tell us about the story?

“Two Draws” was an unexpected success for us, as it far exceeded our most optimistic predictions. It’s a film that was both an audience success (setting a record during its release), a critical success (it received rave reviews from important critics from leading international film magazines), and a more than honorable run at festivals.

It was sold and distributed in several countries and is still in demand. Making a film that fits all these categories is quite difficult. And I always considered the success of this film to be pure luck.

“Two lotteries 2” (or “Two more lotteries”, as it will probably be called) I propose to find out how much luck mattered and how much talent we, those who made it, had.

The story is about three friends (the same three characters from the first movie) who try to get rich mining cryptocurrency, but quickly lose all their accumulated fortunes. As in the first film, they will go from agony to ecstasy and vice versa several times.

At what stage of filming and when can we expect it to be released in cinemas? Do you expect it to be as successful or even bigger than the first part?

We have almost finished shooting and a large part of the film has already been edited. This spring we hope to finish the editing, and by the beginning of the summer to finish the film altogether.

We are aiming for a limited release in a few screenings during the summer and a release in all cinemas in the country in the early fall. I try not to set expectations because it contaminates my way of thinking and working on the film. It’s quite difficult to make a sequel to a successful film because people will have expectations and I have to find the right balance between the novelty and familiarity of the first film.

“I think it’s great that people are watching Romanian films”

What do you think of the new Romanian comedies breaking through at the box office?Of course, I mean Team Building, which became the highest-grossing Romanian film of all time, or Miami Beach, Tabara, etc..

I think it’s great that the world is seeing a Romanian film, and what those who created “Team Building” have achieved is simply sensational, especially since there are people who don’t necessarily come from the field of cinema, but from YouTube .

The fact that so many people are watching Romanian films can only make me happy, that in this way, maybe we will also overcome the phase of initial rejection of Romanian films by the public, as happened in recent years.

My only concern is that the cinemas, which are already few, will prefer to show only commercial films, and auteur films or some films that have no chance of wide distribution will be shown in only a few cinemas, and the cinema that interests me – and mature and accessible – will lose viewers.

But all of this could be remedied through balanced legislation that would correct the current dysfunctions. Going back to the topic of Team Building, I am amazed at the cruelty with which many people try to impose their personal tastes as if they were the absolute truth.

It’s just a movie, if you don’t like it, it doesn’t mean the movie is bad, just like if you like it, it doesn’t mean the movie is good. There is no such thing as a movie for every taste, and thank goodness we’d be terribly bored reading the comments.

• Read also: After the success of “Team Building”, a new Romanian comedy is released in cinemas. Interview with the director of the film “The Taxi Driver”: “The roadway is probably the most violent place in Bucharest”