I don’t know whether it’s the fascination with Luminița Gheorghiu’s acting or the Oedipus complex talking, but I was able to sympathize with Cornelia’s character much more than with Barbu’s. Although the camera stays close and tight to Cornelia for most of the film, it doesn't let us into her mind and motives. Her cold and cynically pragmatic actions can easily be read as manipulative and almost psychopathic, but on the other hand they allow for a much more nuanced reading, including her troubled relationship with her son.
I don’t know whether it’s the fascination with Luminița Gheorghiu’s acting or the Oedipus complex talking, but I was able to sympathize with Cornelia’s character much more than with Barbu’s. Although the camera stays close and tight to Cornelia for most of the film, it doesn't let us into her mind and motives. Her cold and cynically pragmatic actions can easily be read as manipulative and almost psychopathic, but on the other hand they allow for a much more nuanced reading, including her troubled relationship with her son.
