Luca (20) seduces girls then leaves them in the hands of his friends at the Black Sea port of Constanta. Luca falls in love with Veli, one of his potential victims. It's summer down the Danube river, in Harsova. The music is loud, the cars are fancy, the girls are tanned and Veli runs away from home in Luca's bed. First love has never felt more dangerous.
Acting
Piștereanu's physicality—charming then terrifying in the same smile.
Direction
Mitulescu lets horror breathe in sunlit beach scenes.
Cinematography
Danube delta heat haze that feels like a fever dream.
Director
Cătălin Mitulescu
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of Romania's 2000s cinematic explosion examining post-communist moral collapse; won Best Director at Karlovy Vary but barely released domestically due to its unflinching portrayal of working-class exploitation.
Mitulescu cast non-professionals from Constanta for the beach scenes, including actual traffickers' associates—some crew reportedly recognized their own world too well.
RO
