www.ipiff.ro

"In what ways does Romanian capitalism resemble a  game of Lego?" This question seems to be the background on wich the new documentary of Alexander Solomon, "Kapitalism - our secret recipe" is taking place on.. What does the  movie promise us? A characterization of the current economic system in Romania, with the transformations it bears, from the Revolution to the present, times, in the hands of characters like Dan Voiculescu, Patriciu or Becali.

But finding the right words and images to describe the transition from the socialist to a capitalist economy is not an easy task. At least not for a normal economic analyses. But Alexander Solomon  uses a clever and ingenious idea. What if, in order to understand more the inextricable capitalist mixture characteristic to the  post December Romanian society, we  would not judge the situation in the terms of our own values and aspirations? What if we would look through the eyes of Comrade Ceausescu.

Indignation, disappointment and repulsion initially felt  by the Comrade are soon dispelled. Behind the  consumist-capitalist vertigo the PCR logo still operates successfully. Indigenous economic ocupations are handled by the same PCR. The old ethos, "corruption, relations, remain undisturbed and  shine in the complicated economic fabric of the Romanian system. The local capitalism does not have a  structure imported intactly from the West. It is developed on  a solid mioritic foundation  that does not perish with the turning of '89. "Kapitalism" is the continuing and the transvesion of "Capital Marx" (Das Kapital) in Romanian capitalism that is hybrid, eclectic and individual.

Yes, Romanian capitalism - kapitalism - works like a Lego game, it can have any form. It can be handled by anyone.I is dispersible.It can cumulate in any quantity. As long as the matching rules that were once the established are followed, the rulles that they came up  with from the factory.

Directed in various registers, the documentary switched from a playful,humorous, melodramatic atmosphere to neutral , informative, serious, dramatic and sometimes surreal points. Nevertheless, Kapitalism is a complex and  versatile movie opened for any audience.