Soft satire

What was it Robert Altman said about his 1992 film The Player? It was a soft satire or something? 

If Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (2023, Radu Jude) is a satire then what is its target? Globalization, capitalism, commercial filmmaking? That’s what I thought, but no. That seems too easy. Unless this is some kind of soft satire thing. 

     The film’s third act climax shows the subject of the interview to be manipulated and duped into getting exploited by the film crew. Or so I thought. But afterwards I thought about it some more. Isn’t it just an industrial training video to be shown in the workplace, so does it even matter whether or not it adheres to journalistic integrity? And he applied to be selected for the video, and got paid. I’m tempted to laugh at all of this, except that he was in a coma and can’t walk and everything. Now I’m trapped. 

     Same with the PA. Is she actually overworked and underpaid? I thought so. But afterwards I thought about it. I don’t think her having to wake up at 6:00 in the morning is that bad. She seems to have cool clothes, her own car, phone, laptop, apartment, so is she really that underpaid? I don’t wanna sound like a scab or anti-labor, but I hope these are fair questions. I think she might represent a type of victimized phony or misguided morality and that’s the target of the satire here. She complains of being overworked but how much of that time is she making her tiktok videos? She sleeps in the office. And when she has to go pick up the client from the airport she’s late, and denies any accountability about it, which is all because she met up for that parking lot quickie. This is one of several instances where we get these contrary ideological or moral nuances. I don’t think any of these characters are supposed to be that bad; they’re more like relatable. Oh and like she complains all the drivers in Bucharest are idiots but she honks, flips off, and cusses out the other drivers all the same.

     I like the tone of part 16mm grainy black and white indie slacker vibes, with a dose of we are all doomed to it. But really how doomed are we? I’m talking here about the cross montage. It makes a great point and hits hard. What’s her mother say something like we’re suffocating each other because there’s too many of us? That hit me the hardest. Something like all of the carelessness on the busy roads and all those dead because of it. Maybe the best thing about Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World is it totally got me reflecting and ultimately loving life and people a little bit more. Okay maybe my last thought is like are her jokes so bad no one laughs at them another subtle indicator of maybe her craving for attention and not really picking up on how while on the job maybe no one else thinks she’s funny? 

04/13/2024 Tara Theatre

Atlanta, GA

DCP