''De ce eu?'' is a Romanian political thriller, starring Emilian Oprea as Cristian Panduru, a young and honest prosecutor who is in charge of an investigation which is in the spotlight of the nation's media and concerns a corrupt (?) older prosecutor accused of a variety of professional misconducts. The movie portrays a deeply unethical, untrustworthy political and judicial system with shady officials reigning over Romanian people, a situation too familiar for the European southern countries such as Greece or Italy. In the midst of this nefarious system, Cristian struggles to remain faithful to his oath and when he realizes that the man he is supposed to prosecute is in fact innocent, a descent into paranoia and madness begins for him. The consequences of his bold actions, defying his superiors orders, finally lead to his suspension. After that, Cristian delves fast to the poisonous world of paranoia with a tragic conclusion.
This is a well-shot film with nice performances from the main protagonists, having a tight plot which reveals to the viewer the level of corruption in the Romanian political system. This is further supported by the great dialogue of the movie, making the characters and situations plausible, while achieving a high level of realism, a necessary ingredient for the genre's films. ''De ce eu?'' is a rather sad and gloomy story of a man attempting to stand up to the crooked system and finally losing the battle. The finale is pessimistic and mournful, leaving a bitter aftertaste to the viewer. So, if you are looking for a movie with happy ending, better skip it. In the film's universe there is no chance of redemption and the fate of the rebel is his demise.
''De ce eu?'' will appeal more to the fans of European movies of the genre, tired of Hollywood action-packed, plotless pictures.
My more precise rating would be closer to 7.5./10.
Review of Why Me?
