Nicolae Mărgineanu on the documentary “The debunking”: “I think this film is not easy to forget!”

Although he is currently working intensively on several projects, director Nicolae Mărgineanu was kind enough to answer some questions for www.fenomenulpitesti.ro, in order to find out more about how the documentary ”   The debunking” was made and how he relates to the events and characters of the film. A frank and direct interview on the eve of TIFF, the biggest Romanian film event, which he unexpectedly reached this year with the film he directed last year.

FP.ro: Dear Mr. Mărgineanu, since 1989 you have concentrated more and more on the production of documentaries, somewhat to the detriment of artistic feature films. Is this your choice or is it dictated by the market?

Nicolae Mărgineanu: It was a time when events happened very quickly. In such situations, the documentary is much closer to reality and a little easier to make. Especially from an economic point of view.

What is your relationship with the communist period? Why do so many of your films deal with themes from our recent past?

I lived through that period and I know it very well. It is my duty to bear witness. During the communist period we were not allowed to speak the truth about the problems of the Romanians, and now I think it is very good to clarify them a little, to know our recent history.

How does the public react to this kind of film? How much interest is there in them?

I can’t say that they are a hit with the public, but those who have eyes to see and ears to hear can see and hear. It is very important that anyone interested in the history of the communist period can see these films and get a broader view of what happened. Often it is an expressive detail, the look of a man, a casual line that makes you understand an era much better than a volume of studies. Then I think it is extremely important to have interviews with witnesses of these events.

What attracted you to the idea of making the documentary “The Debunking”?

The desire to understand what happened in the student prison in Pitești from some of the participants in these events.

As the son of a former political prisoner, how did the contact with the people you interviewed for this film affect you? How would you characterise them in a few sentences?

As the son of a political prisoner, I knew about the Pitești phenomenon. It was whispered about, but information circulated. I approached the making of this film with trepidation. The facts are unusually aggressive, the violence has reached levels that are hard for a normal person to imagine. I was afraid that the film would inevitably be dominated by this extraordinary violence and would be very difficult to watch. But the surprise came from these men who testified and spoke with discretion and understanding, with depth and sometimes even with humour about the hell they experienced when they were very young. 

What was the most difficult part of filming the events in Pitești?

The difficulty was not ours, but that of those who had the will to witness what happened there 60 years ago. Many of those who went through the hell of Pitești prison have never spoken about what happened there, they wanted to erase the horrors from their memory. It’s hard to make such a confession, it’s like exorcising the evil that has haunted them all their lives.

We know that you had a cousin who experienced these horrors first hand. Did you think of him while working on this film?

My cousin, Eugen Mărgineanu, was a medical student when he was arrested. He was sentenced to three years for failure to report. I knew he was on the Danube-Black Sea canal. It was only after 1990 that I found out that he had undergone re-education in Pitești. Like so many of his comrades, he preferred to erase from his memory the terrible things he had experienced there. 

To what extent does the final cut reflect the ideas you started with? Did your vision of the subject change in any way during filming or editing?

The idea that Alin Mureșan started with for this film, and to which I fully adhered, was to discover how young people who had been subjected to a dehumanising experiment could survive. During the filming, this idea became more and more convincing through the testimonies. Not only did we not change our minds, but we were helped by the interviews we made.

What did you want to convey with the film, what is its main message?

The proverb “Don’t give a man what he can take” is unfortunately very true. In a time of normality, it seems unbelievable that an event like the Pitești phenomenon could happen. But it can always come back in another form. 

What do you think about the reactions of the public and the press to the documentary “The debunking”? Were they thankful? Did they surprise you in a pleasant or unpleasant way?

Those who see the film are undoubtedly disturbed, some of them even horrified. But I think it is not an easy film to watch.

Did you become more attached to one of the characters in the film? If so, how?

The contribution of the characters was felt to be equal, each with their own personality. Their stories complement each other very naturally. They were very sincere in trying to bring some light into this dark event. All credit to them!

What is the most emotional moment in the film?

I find Nicolae Purcărea’s testimony the most moving.

What is the first line from the film that comes to mind when you think of the film?

And the question was eternal: “Do you still believe in God?”

(Source: Fenomenulpitesti.ro)