Review: Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
What constitutes a good pandemic film? Is it one that utilizes the COVID-19 pandemic in its storyline? Is it one that uses the pandemic as a metaphor for society as a whole? Until this question is answered we can keep trying to make films that capture one aspect of the pandemic that might be universal to some, but not for others.
What is seen in Romanian director Radu Jude’s latest film, the Golden Bear-winning Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, might not be what everyone has experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the feelings that Jude captures in his madcap attempt at the pandemic film are certainly recognizable.
Emi Cilibiu (Katia Pascariu) is in deep trouble. Somehow, the private sex tape that she filmed with her husband Eugen (Stefan Steel) has leaked online, been taken down, and again reuploaded. The Headmistress (Claudia Ieremia) of the school Cilibui teaches at has now forced her to participate in a parent-teacher conference, where a vote will take place to determine her future. What makes this situation even worse than it currently is is that this meeting is taking place in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, where people are becoming even more self-centered and self-righteous than they already are.
In the world of Loony Porn, the pandemic itself takes a backseat to the rottenness that has permeated Romanian society in its wake. It is simply something that is happening in the background as citizens wear face masks and socially distance themselves from each other. What Jude posits is that society is the real pandemic, which isn’t exactly the most groundbreaking revelation, but is at least portrayed in a fairly interesting manner.
The film is divided into three parts, with the first one showcasing Emi going about her day in preparation for the conference. While out on the town, she is catcalled, inconvenienced, and subjected to copious amounts of capitalist advertising. Though the long shots of decrepit buildings can get old very quickly, they act as a decent way of increasing tension as Emi finds herself dealing with jackasses who don’t even know about her scandal.
Perhaps the most intriguing part of the film is its second act, an only-slightly coherent montage of societal ills plaguing Romania. It outlines the country’s history of fascism, science-denial, and misogyny with archival images and slice-of-life videos shot on an iPhone. This montage switches between the past and the present fairly seamlessly, showing just how little things have actually changed in the country. At times, it can seem confusing or completely distanced from Emi’s dilemma, and to that extent, it sometimes loses focus. That being said, there is a strange poignancy to it that might just be what Jude was aiming for.
The third act throws audiences right back into Emi’s life as she arrives at her school to hear her fate. Arguably the film’s weakest act, the constant bickering by characters quickly becomes more tiring than anything else in the film. While that might seem weird considering the rest of the film, the problem here is that the third act’s writing projects something very different than what is actually being presented. Instead of an increasingly-intense standoff between a teacher and parents, it’s an uncomfortable spiel that seems to have no end in sight until the insane ending.
Your enjoyment of Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn is going to hinge entirely on your enjoyment of art films. If you are interested in pretentious imagery, loosely connected narratives, and unsimulated sex, then you’ll probably see what I see in the film—an appropriately frantic look at how regressive the COVID-19 pandemic has made society. That being said, it is easy to see how those who don’t care for any of that will hate the film. It’s difficult to say whether or not this is the best pandemic film, but what you can’t deny is that its chaos is exactly what such films need.
