MEDAL OF HONOR

Bukarest, 1995. For seven years now, Mr. Ion has lived in the knowledge of being guilty of something that his wife and son cannot forgive. Alone with his past and his wife’s angry silence, he tries to maintain some semblance of normality in the midst of an emotional vacuum. But his attempts to convince himself and others of his good intentions are futile. An unexpected opportunity to mend old wounds arrives in the form of a medal of honour, awarded to him by the government in recognition of his bravery in World War II. Not aware of any heroic deeds during his war service, the old man is initially confused. But the benefit to be gained from cosmetically enhancing his war record makes Ion inventive. An episode from his soldiering days suddenly becomes an artful ruse that helped decide the outcome of the war. He even begins to believe the tall tale himself. Gradually, Ion’s new-found self-confidence thaws the ice of his marriage as well as the frigid relations with the son who lives in Canada. When the exposure of his self-deception threatens, Ion clings desperately to his medal, incapable of accepting the inevitable, although it is his family’s only chance of reconciliation. Calin Netzer’s delicate humour and subtle observational gifts are evident in this deeply human drama. Made in the documentary style of the Romanian New Wave, his film concentrates on the main figure, whose suffering is portrayed on the most intimate interpersonal level. Thanks to the sensitive performance from the lead actor, nothing less than the tragedy of history comes crashing down on one man’s head.