The Dead Nation

Filmmaker Radu Jude’s unusual documentary looks at the rising level of anti-Semitism in Romania during the late 1930s and the fate of Romanian Jews during World War II. Rather than incorporate newsreel footage and talking-head interviews, the entire film is presented through glass plate photographs taken during the era by Costica Acsinte, who operated a studio in the town of Slobozia. The photographs depict average Romanians, some in military uniforms, others in work clothes, and a few farmers who pose with their prize livestock. The seeming ordinariness of these images is juxtaposed against narration by Jude read from the journals of Dr. Emil Dorian, a Jewish physician in Bucharest who witnessed the nation’s slide into fascism and the rising assaults against the Jewish population. Dorian bears witness to the purging of Jews from Romania’s medical profession and universities, as well as the scapegoating of Jewish communities after the Soviet annexation of Romanian territories. The narration is accompanied by radio broadcasts and patriotic songs (some of which include anti-Semitic lyrics). Jude’s approach to the subject is challenging and disturbing. While Jude is a somewhat monotonous narrator and the English subtitles are occasionally difficult to read, this experimental approach to retelling the horrors of the Holocaust is striking, overall. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)