Directed by Radu Jude
Starring Katia Pascariu

Awkwardly titled, I had no idea what to expect from this film. Opening with three minutes of rather explicit content and I was still none the wiser.

Broken into three parts, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn is a somewhat ingenious look at a far-away country facing problems not dissimilar from our own. Tackling issues around conservatism, judgement, misogyny, censorship, domestic violence, racism, exploitation, hypocrisy and shaming – this film is more than an excuse to talk about sex, it’s a very honest look at some of the darker parts of our collective psyche.

Set to the backdrop of COVID-19 anxiety and frustration in Bucharest, Romania the film centres on schoolteacher, Emi (Katia Pascariu) in the aftermath of a leaked sex tape. The film follows Emi as she prepares for and mounts her own defence at her inquisition.

One thing did stand out to me at the end of the film. The sex tape, so clunky, amateur, and decidedly vanilla by today’s standards was far from ‘loony’. What was loony was the utter circus that followed. It shows the consequences of leaking explicit, private content online. The damage it does to individuals, families and communities.

This film makes important statements around consent. It also paints so apt a picture of the times we are in. This isn’t a film about a pandemic, but its filming was unequivocally impacted by the pandemic and what results is a timeless piece set in a time that none of us will forget.

Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn is showing in selected cinemas from November 25.

Moviedoc thanks Potential Films for the screener link to watch and review this film.

Review by Jemma for Moviedoc

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