MEDAL OF HONOUR
Romania, 2009, 104 minutes, Colour.
Victor Rebengiuc, Camelia Zorlescu.
Directed by Calin Peter Netzer.
Medal of Honour was directed by Calin Peter Netzer, a distinguished Romanian director who won the Golden Bear in Berlin with Child’s Pose. His other films are Maria and Ana Mon Amour.
This is a more simple story, the focus on an old man and his wife, the hard life in Romania with memories of World War II, the Communist era, the changes. They are dependent on the government the pension?
The title refers to a medal honouring people for their activities in World War II and the central character receives a message that he is to be awarded a belated medal. He is happy to talk about the Germans and the cannon and his exploits and pleased with the recognition.
He gets the medal, goes to the reception, hands the president some petitions from his neighbours about conditions in their homes and in the area. Then it is revealed that the medal has been given to him wrongfully, due to somebody with a different initial.
He has difficulties at home, his wife not having conversations with him, their son in Canada and his not seeing him for seven years, difficult phone calls.
However, the son does come back with his family, the old man wearing his medal at the meal, conversations about Romania and Canada – and the characters and their situation being left the audience to think about their future.
1. Romanian society, memories of the palace, World War II, the Communist era, the collapse of communism, changes in Romanian society?
2. The city setting, the homes, the streets, government offices, venues for celebrations? The musical score?
3. The title, the focus, for Ion, his war service, issues of recognition, belated acknowledgement? The impact for Ion, for his wife, for his son? For the neighbours? The irony that it was awarded to the wrong person?
4. Ion as a character, his story, his age, his way of life, his marriage, his wife and her distance, his son in Canada, not seeing him, the difficult phone calls? The neighbour with the cheques for the pension? A simple way of life?
5. The news of the medal, his going to the offices, discussions with the receptionists? The documents, the verification? His pride? The medal, going to the reception? The discussions with the neighbours, the social concerns, the petitions, dictating them, his taking them, presenting them to the president? His happiness at the reception?
6. The mistake, the different initial, the repercussions? The medal itself, selling it, redeeming it?
7. Ion’s wife, her hard stances, the son going to Canada? The phone calls, his wife, child, the child not speaking Romanian?
8. The family eventually coming to Romania, the meal, the discussions, Ion wearing the medal, his son’s reaction, the little boy and the medal, the discussion about comparative prices in Canada?
9. The film ending, leaving Ion and his wife with the audience, and the possibilities for the future?
