THE BLOCK
From neighbourly disputes over garlic-heavy cooking to memories of Ceaușescu’s heatless winters, this film explores the rich social and material universe of a Romanian apartment building. It follows the story of the block’s administrator, in his effort to mediate relationships between neighbours and maintain peace and order. In doing so, it crayons the rich nuances of the inhabitants’ everyday lives. The block comes to life, as its inhabitants constantly reshape it to defy the passing of time, while its failing infrastructure encroaches on their neighbourly relations. This is a film about people’s homes, and the spaces in between. In those spaces, the pipes don’t only carry hot water – they carry meanings from one inhabitant to the next.
Directed, written, filmed and produced by Maria Șalaru
Edited by Ileana Szasz
The film is distributed by the Royal Anthropological Institute. Read more about the research, the making of the film, its impact, and future screenings.
The documentary if available on the UCL Press website under the Resources tab, where you can also download the accompanying monograph, An Anthropology of Architectural Transformation.