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Iulia Lumânare

Cristian Bota

Mihai Mãlaimare

Ioana Mischie

Panic breaks out in the village of Catane when the locals learn that they will be investigated because every household has declared that they have disabled people in order to avoid paying taxes to the state, led by the mayor and t...

Catane

Great debut!

IFFI &apos;25 // 9

Catane is a very confident debut entry by Ioana Mischie - already demonstrating a command over tone, spatial composition, and sociopolitical subtext. The film delves into the ambiguity of survival ethics. There is a thematic tussle between life on paper and life as actually lived, often caused by a dishonest bureaucracy that fails to deliver for the villagers. In this tension between bureaucracy and humanity, the film becomes a critique of the way systems reduce individuals to numbers, forms, and metrics, while ignoring the true quality of their lives. What looks like a crime from afar becomes something closer to collective protest when viewed up close.

Ioana Mischie&apos;s dual role as writer and director pays off in the film&apos;s formal cohesion. The screenplay is deceptively lean but structurally robust, allowing the absurdist humour to emerge organically. She is able to direct her performers and the script together in perfect harmony - very important in a dark comedy. The only narrative falter is the ethical pivot of the Inspector where he lets the crimes of the villagers go. Though the pieces are all there, the decision lacks a clear ideological motive and happens a bit too quickly, rendering his final act of absolution somewhat abrupt in relation to his prior behavioural arc.

The DP George Dascalescu just places the cherry on top as he captures the mountain village with a kind of vivid melancholy. The colours of the landscape, the layered textures of rural Romania, and the framing of cramped interiors all contribute within the mise-en-scène.

Great story, great execution! We will watch Mischie&apos;s career with great interest.

IFFI '25 // 9

Catane is a very confident debut entry by Ioana Mischie - already demonstrating a command over tone, spatial composition, and sociopolitical subtext. The film delves into the ambiguity of survival ethics. There is a thematic tussle between life on paper and life as actually lived, often caused by a dishonest bureaucracy that fails to deliver for the villagers. In this tension between bureaucracy and humanity, the film becomes a critique of the way systems reduce individuals to numbers, forms, and metrics, while ignoring the true quality of their lives. What looks like a crime from afar becomes something closer to collective protest when viewed up close.

Ioana Mischie's dual role as writer and director pays off in the film's formal cohesion. The screenplay is deceptively lean but structurally robust, allowing the absurdist humour to emerge organically. She is able to direct her performers and the script together in perfect harmony - very important in a dark comedy. The only narrative falter is the ethical pivot of the Inspector where he lets the crimes of the villagers go. Though the pieces are all there, the decision lacks a clear ideological motive and happens a bit too quickly, rendering his final act of absolution somewhat abrupt in relation to his prior behavioural arc.

The DP George Dascalescu just places the cherry on top as he captures the mountain village with a kind of vivid melancholy. The colours of the landscape, the layered textures of rural Romania, and the framing of cramped interiors all contribute within the mise-en-scène.

Great story, great execution! We will watch Mischie's career with great interest.

Panic breaks out in the village of Catane when the locals learn that they will be investigated because every household has declared that they have disabled people in order to avoid paying taxes to the state, led by the mayor and the assistant of the communal dispensary. A team of inspectors from the Commission for Persons with Disabilities is delegated to find out the truth.

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Catane

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