SYNOPSIS

Inspired by a real event that occurred at a bus station in Romania, the film follows the story of a Roma woman who was unjustly denied access to a minibus and violently assaulted by its driver as onlookers passively observed or even approved the driver's actions. The only person who tries to help her is another Roma woman who dials the emergency number. Filmed in a single shot, the camera repeatedly transitions from the main scene to the other people, questioning our own prejudices and lack of response to abuse.

INTENTION

I was born and raised in a city in Transylvania, in a family that valued good manners. My father used to caution me, saying, "Please watch your back and avoid interacting with the Roma people because they are dangerous." An alarming study reveals that Romania ranks last in Europe in terms of discrimination, with 70% of Romanians harboring distrust towards the Roma community.

A few years ago, an incident took place that shook the entire society. A 55-year-old minibus driver denied entry in his car to a Roma woman and proceeded to physically assault her. Even the emergency phone operator she contacted at 911 dismissed her based on her ethnicity (the distressing audio recording was made available to the public and will be used in our film).

Shocked by this incident, I am eager to tell this story to shed light on society's indifference towards such abuses, raising questions about issues that affect us all. What would we have done if we were there? Would we have acted differently? Would we have intervened to stop this act of discrimination? More than a film about a particular event, it is a film about us, our inactions, prejudices, and passivity.