WhentheSovietArmymarchedintoRomaniain1944,apartoftheRomanianpopulationwent“intothemountains”–adiverseassortmentofnationalistsandfascists,liberals,apoliticalfarmersandmembersofthemiddle-class,whowereaffectedbytheCommunists’expropriations.OverathousandarmedresistancegroupstookrefugeintheinaccessibleforestsoftheCarpathianMountainswheretheywaitedinvainforthesupportoftheWesternAllies.Thirtyofthemheldtheirgroundwellintothe1950s.OnewasledbyIonG*rilă-Ogoranu,whomanagedtoremainundetecteduntil1976whenhewasarrested.ConstantinPopescu’sfeaturefilmdepictsthedailyexistenceofthisgroup.Withthestrictnessofprotocol,ittellsthestoryofastrugglethatbecameanendinitself,astheenemywasconstantlyinpursuitandarrestmeanttortureandoftenliquidation.Hungryandemotionallywithdrawn,thegroupofyoungmengotentangledinapartisanwarthatcouldnotbewon,lostinthelandscapeoftheSouthCarpathians,accompaniedby*igilantsecretpolice,theSecuritate.Theeverydaylifeofahuntthatwasfarfromtheheroi*attributedtotheglorifiedanti-communistresistancetoday.–Berlinale