The Fixer

Radu works as a trainee in the Romanian department of a large French news agency – he is a «fixer», someone who facilitates other reporters’ work. When two Romanian underage prostitutes are expatriated to Romania from France, the case quickly turns into an international scandal, and Radu sees this as a chance to make a scoop. Using his network, he does all he can to schedule an interview with one of the girls, who is now in hiding. But the mission soon turns more complicated – and morally dubious – than Radu was able to foresee.

The strong moral conflict and the many pointed observations in The Fixer is typical for contemporary Romanian film. But it has a strong narrative drive that is lacking in films of the Romanian new wave, and sequences filled with breathtaking tension. Moreover, much like last year’s highly acclaimed German comedy drama Toni Erdmann, the film aptly demonstrates the increasing interconnectedness of modern Europe and how this makes us Europeans morally responsible for each other. CF

Adrian Sitaru (b. 1971) is one of the most prolific contemporary Romanian filmmakers. He is best known for Hooked (2008), Best Intentions (2011) and Illegitimate (2016), who have all been shown at prestigious film festivals. In addition, he has directed for TV and kept returning to the short film format after his breakthrough as a feature film director.