Any time Cristian Mungiu has a new film, count on it being a major player at Cannes. After winning the Palme d’Or in 2007 with 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, he has been a mainstay at the top of the festival. The acclaim was similar for his most recent film, R.M.N., which debuted at Cannes last year and is finally due to open next month.
Starring Marine Grigore, Judith State, and Macrina Barladeanu, R.M.N. centers on a man who returns home to his village in Transylvania to help raise his estranged son and reconnect with an ex-lover. But his return plus the arrival of some new workers in town causes disruption in a community already gripped by fear.
The film is written and directed by Mungiu, his first film since 2016’s Graduation, which earned him Best Director at Cannes.
IFC Films will release R.M.N. into theaters on April 28th.
A few days before Christmas, having quit his job in Germany, Matthias returns to his multi-ethnic Transylvanian village. He wishes to involve himself more in the education of his son, Rudi, left for too long in the care of his mother, Ana, and to rid the boy of the unresolved fears that have taken hold of him. He’s preoccupied with his old father, Otto and also eager to see his ex-lover, Csilla. When a few new workers are hired at the small factory that Csilla manages, the peace of the community is disturbed, underlying fears grip the adults, and frustrations, conflicts and passions erupt through the thin veneer of apparent understanding and calm.