A Little Piece of Heaven, “Ca La Moldova” [documentary]

“When God was giving land to the people, there wasn’t any land left for the Moldovan. Yu see, the Moldovan came home too late in the evening, after working hard all day long. All of the land had already been given away. The Moldovan looked so tired and tortured that God pitied him, and gave him a little piece of heaven. That is why you can call Moldova a small paradise”. With this parable, the hour-long documentary “Ca la Moldova” starts, and tells the story of the country and problems it faces.

Mołdawia słynie z malowanych płotów i bram; źródło: Eastbook.eu

Moldova is famous for its painted gates and fences; source: Eastbook.eu

Three young people – two Americans and a Moldovan – made a documentary showing highlights of daily life and last twenty years of Moldova’s history. Jerry W. Martin was born in Saint Louis. In 2006, he went to Moldova to work as a volunteer in NGOs, in particular those fighting against human traffic. Meantime, he was teaching English to support himself. Christopher Daly is from Chicago and came to Moldova with Jerry. His aim was to learn Moldova’s language and get to know its culture, so he stayed in the country. During the work on the film, the Americans were helped by Victoria Vorosciuc, a translator, engaged in campaigns against human trafficking. A Fulbright scholarship holder, she had lived in African countries and Denmark, but at last came back to her homeland.

At first, they wanted to create a film that would make Moldova more visible among European countries who could give some financial aid, explained Christopher. But over time, the documentary became more a story about life in Moldova and creation of state identity. Perhaps the film presents a one-sided image – we hear a tale of “bad Communist who stole away the country”, yet none of them had a chance to show their perspective – but still, the way the documentary composes beautiful shots and interviews into a 60-minute long resume of Moldova is its great advantage. It was created in 2009, during the time of the country celebrating its 18th anniversary of gaining independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This year was special – while the authors were making the film, the first Twitter revolution took place is Chisinau, after hundreds of people took to the streets and caused a change of power: after their eight-year long rule the Communists lost to a coalition of pro-European parties.

“Ca la Moldova” shows major problems the country is now facing: poverty, corruption, mass emigration, national identity, language issues and the conflict in Transnistria. Sergiu Ciuchrii, a composer, said that his country is among the poorest in the world, but, on the other hand, his nation is rich with culture and folklore, and there’s no other country like their “in the whole world“. Yet the biggest problem Moldova has is the quality of education, emphasized the king of Moldovan Roms. The lack of perspectives regarding jobs results in young people migrating. According to unofficial statistics, ca. one million Moldovans emigrated – it is almost 25 percent of the country’s population. “The situation is catastrophic. Children are brought up by strangers, grandparents or neighbours. They are completely alienated from their parents”. The documentary transforms into a challenge, or an appeal, of those who did not leave – it addresses emigrants: come home, for without you we can’t change our country. Moldova is the land where God is asleep; though He sleeps, He is still present, claims artist Oleg Monach.

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