“I Do Not Care if We Go Down in History as Barbarians.” So said Romanian military dictator Marshal Ion Antonescu to the Council of Ministers in 1941, in an infamous speech that kicked off a program of ethnic cleansing on the Eastern Front. 

Romania’s role in the WWII holocaust is one that is often conveniently forgotten (or outright denied), but director Radu Jude wants to make sure that we remember, as does the main character in his audacious new film—which is titled “I Do Not Care if We Go Down in History as Barbarians,” complete with quotes.

The movie’s fictional stage director Mariana Marin (an electric and believable Ioana Iacob) is mounting a spectacular re-enactment of the 1941 Odessa massacre, in which Romanian soldiers allied with the Nazis to kill tens of thousands of Jews. She encounters resistance from a variety of people, including cast members, government officials, and her own boyfriend, many of whom think it’s either a bad idea to bring up old memories or simply anti-Romanian. She also has increasingly frustrating personal issues with her already-married partner. None of it stops her.

Because this is Radu Jude, however, the film’s themes are couched in scenes that are as playful and audacious as they are dark and disturbing. (The jokey tone is similar to his equally singular 2015 film Aferim!, about another shameful period in Romanian history.) 

“I Do Not Care…” clocks in at a leisurely 140 minutes, which gives Jude plenty of time to build up to Mariana’s actual staged performance. In preparation, she reads aloud relevant book passages and quotes from witnesses and public figures including Hannah Arendt; she also argues at length with other characters, especially Movila (Alexandru Dabija), a local official with whom she engages in almost affectionate banter. Though sometimes overly didactic, these debates carry considerable weight, especially one about the relative hierarchy of the world’s massacres (“the Darwinism of massacres — only the fittest survive in the public conscience”). 

Meanwhile, there are droll scenes set in Bucharest’s National Military Museum, where Mariana and her crew research weapons; and rowdy, chaotic rehearsals take place on the museum grounds, amid vintage tanks. There is one chilling and hilarious scene in which she and crew member dispassionately weigh the merits of different human screams recorded during actual atrocities. Jude plays up the dichotomy between the grim details of historic events and the casual, lighthearted rehearsals, which include use of horrific props.

There is also much black and white footage from WWII, including the actual 1946 trials of Antonescu, as well as scenes from the controversial 1994 Romanian film Oglinda, which is mocked by Mariana and her boyfriend. (The movie is stuffed with pertinent details.)  Working hard to keep her project and crew on track, she is alternately amused and saddened by the old footage and other wartime evidence.

Eventually some cast members rebel and quit (mainly due to laziness), but their true beliefs also surface: “Only the Germans killed the Jews.” Mariana just becomes more and more determined to stage her vision, as Movila tries to talk her out of it.

When the pageant finally takes place in public square, it truly is a grand and moving spectacle, shown in great detail. However, the audience’s response isn’t exactly what Mariana expected.

“I Do Not Care…” is an odd and powerful film—absurd, yet all-too-real. With the rise of nationalism and fascism in Europe and, yep, in our own backyard, it is sadly a movie for our time.

“I Do Not Care if We Go Down in History as Barbarians” opens at the IFC Center in NYC on Friday, July 19.

Also out now at the IFC Center is The Sweet Requiem, an understated yet moving film by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam about Tibetan refugees living in Delhi, India.

— Marina Zogbi