48th NYFF 2010: Andrei Ujica’s The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu

Few have ever seen a film like Andrei Ujica’s The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceauşescu, and even fewer have seen it presented in such a way—as an art form. It is important to pay attention to the title. Director Andrei Ujica aims to make a film where former President of Romania Nicolae Ceauşescu (1918-1989) tells his own story. While Documentary filmmakers have tried for years to reach “authenticity” and “objectivity” (arguably in vain), Ujica looks for subjectivity—specifically Ceauşescu’s.

The result is a three-hour piece that can most easily be compared to a political travelogue than any other documentary. We are treated to long “scenes” of Ceauşescu and his fellow politicians touring volcanoes, giving public speeches, Romanian Nationalist parades, courtrooms, political rallies, volleyball games and many more of the like. The only material that would be considered “exciting” is that of his faux-trial that was filmed during the coup d’etat that brought him out of power and executed him within a few hours. We only watch a small piece of that interview, and nothing beyond that about the revolution.

According to Ujica, this is for two reasons. The first is because he already made a film completely about that revolution—1992’s Videograms of a Revolution. The second is because, this is Ceauşescu’s version. Ujica would have us believe that if Ceauşescu were telling us his story, he would not include any of that. Instead, we have a whole lot of propaganda focusing on how well-liked he was, but nothing about the poverty, hunger, crime, etc. that many consider to define his “dictatorship.”

There is one notable break in chronological continuity that really exemplifies how this is an art film rather than a travelogue. Ujica takes a shot from Ceauşescu’s 60th birthday party and match cuts it to one of his 55th. Luckily, Ceauşescu had the same cake for both occasions, and there was a shot of exactly the same size on both cakes. Ujica cuts from the “60” cake to the “55” cake for one of the only “jump cuts” in the film. He explains that this is Ceauşescu sitting at his 60th birthday party recollecting not only his birthday five years earlier, but also many events that occurred in between, giving us the direction for the next hour or so of the film.

Few will want to sit through all three hours, and even fewer will do it without falling asleep. That being said though, it’s a unique and accomplished work of art that is a fantastic conversation piece on the nature of art, film, documentary, narrative and subjectivity.

The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceauşescu premieres Saturday October 9th at 11:30am in the Walter Reade Theater within the New York Film Festival’s “Special Events” sidebar.