Overview
A gripping journey through 19th century Romania reveals the dark legacy of slavery and forbidden love.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- scathingly funny
- harsh
- furious
- arthouse film night
- historical cinema exploration
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an intelligent, visually arresting, sharply funny, and historically important portrait of Wallachian slavery and social hierarchy.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The pursuit of Carfin is framed through the legal and social normalization of Gypsy slavery.
Costandin and Ioniță travel through early nineteenth-century Wallachia while encountering institutions and communities shaped by feudal power.
The film combines full-frontal historical horror with overlooked humor and satirical observations of social customs.
Its black-and-white cinematography emphasizes the austere landscapes, faces, and ritualized hierarchies of nineteenth-century Wallachia.
Films like Aferim!, and why
The Great Silence
historical western form, morally compromised institutions, and harsh social critique
The Searchers
black-and-white period filmmaking, dark humor, and systemic racial oppression
Django Unchained
revisionist western structure, social violence, and satirical historical perspective
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
Romanian historical drama with pointed social observation and understated humor
Movie Details
- Director
- Radu Jude
- Release Date
- 2015-03-06
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 7.4 / 10 (126)
Cast
- Teodor Corban
- Mihai Comănoiu
- Toma Cuzin
- Alexandru Dabija
- Luminița Gheorghiu
- Victor Rebengiuc
- Alexandru Bindea
- Mihaela Sîrbu
- Adina Cristescu
- Șerban Pavlu
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- OVID
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Aferim! about?
- A blackly comic historical western follows a Wallachian policeman through a society whose law protects slavery, hierarchy, and aristocratic honor.
- What is Aferim! like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Aferim! as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Aferim! violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Aferim! as moderate.
- What did critics think of Aferim!?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an intelligent, visually arresting, sharply funny, and historically important portrait of Wallachian slavery and social hierarchy.
- Which films are like Aferim!?
- Films with a similar feel include The Great Silence, The Searchers, Django Unchained, and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu.
- How long is Aferim!?
- Aferim! runs 108 minutes.
- Where can I watch Aferim!?
- In United States, Aferim! streams on OVID.
