Zavera (English: "Turmoil") is a 2019 Romanian drama film directed by Andrei Gruzsniczki, written by Gruzsniczki and Mircea Staiculescu, and produced by Saga Film. The plot follows Ștefan (played by Dorian Boguță), a construction engineer, who enters an existential crisis after his best friend and business partner Nic (played by Șerban Pavlu) dies in a bicycle accident. The film is subtitled "eight Gymnopédies" and is structured in eight days in the life of Ștefan after Nic's death.
The writing of Zavera started in 2014 with a script development workshop organized by Sources 2 in Norway. During the next three years, Gruzsniczki struggled to find producers for the film. The production started in 2018. The initial idea for the film was to follow eight characters, but because of financial constraints it was reduced to only one. The score contains two of Erik Satie's Gnossiennes, performed by the original music composer Cristian Lolea.
The film premiered on November 23, 2019 at the Cairo International Film Festival and was theatrically released in Romania on November 29, 2019. It received two nominations at the 2020 Gopo Awards, Coca Bloos for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Lolea for Best Original Music, but neither of them won.
Cast
Medeea Marinescu – Nona
Ioan Isaiu – directorul de bancă
Șerban Pavlu – Nic
Ioana Flora – Roxana
Dorian Boguță – Ștefan
Coca Bloos – mama Tia
Ioana Abur – Dora
Richard Bovnoczki – soțul Dorei
Ilie Gâlea – șef șantier 2
Silvia Năstase – vecina amabilă
Ioana Ana Macaria – Magda
Dan Tudor – Marius
Florinela Grapini – soția lui Marius
Florentina Năstase – Ani
Ioana Chițu – fata care vinde flori
Liana Mărgineanu – Venera
Irina-Halina Cornișteanu – doctorița
Ioana Talașman – Ioana
Maria Talașman – Maria
Ciprian-Valentin Lighean – șef șantier 1
Viorel Iosif – părintele