Child's Pose
Director: Calin Peter Netzer
Year Released: 2013
Rating: 3.0
A wealthy, overprotective mother (Luminița Gheorghiu) discovers her son (Bogdan Dumitrache) killed a boy crossing the road with his car, so she does everything she can - mostly unethically - to keep him out of jail. Though the tone is grim and the movie is populated with almost entirely unpleasant people - the Dumitrache character, in particular, is repulsive and the way he treats his family is grotesque - as a character study of an egotistical mother and her maternal duty to her son - and need to protect her own reputation - it has a real hold, and Netzer's patience in letting his scenes develop is very impressive. The final scene in which the mother engages with the parents of the deceased boy - followed by Dumitrache offering his (genuine?) apology - is a powerful conclusion to a difficult predicament.
