Interview with Maria Popistașu and Alexandru Baciu

The Creative Union Behind Y

by Ilo Tuule Rajand, Alex Petrescu, and Kairgul Abdyrahmanova

A debut feature from director Maria Popistașu and Alexandru Baciu, the Romanian family drama Y just had its world premiere at the 41st Warsaw International Film Festival in the International Competition. The story begins in Bucharest, where an upper-class family is left not only with a financial inheritance, but with a moral burden as well, carried on from Ceaușescu’s communist regime. We had the opportunity to sit down with the two directors to briefly touch upon the central themes of the project, the social bubbles surrounding negligible injustice, and the process of developing a first feature film.

How did this subject matter touch you, and what was the reason behind wanting to make a fiction film out of this?

Maria Popistașu: I wanted to work with a story I connected with, a character close to my age, and turn it into a project of my own. We were interested in exploring a story about inheritance. We live in an idealized version of Bucharest, but the moment you step outside those bubbles, the contrast can be startling. I was fascinated by that tension and tried to capture the illusion of comfort. Watching the finished film at the premiere, I felt that this sense of a diorama really came through and every image encased these characters in their own glass box.

Alexandru Baciu: From a screenwriting perspective, I believe that the more personal or regional the story is, the more universal it can become. This one happens to be set in Romania, but it could unfold anywhere to anyone. I often think about the universal meaning of it. When we were looking for funding, we met people from different countries who recognized similar issues in their own societies. That gave me the confidence that we were tapping into something universal.

In the early ‘90s there was an influx of international TV coverage on the subject. Was there always the idea of including documentary footage in the film, and why the Belgian television segment specifically?

AB: We both grew up watching TV reports and news reels about Romanian orphanages, so these documentaries always stayed with us. When Romania opened up to the world in the early ’90s, many curious Western journalists came to see what was happening. Because Ceaușescu restricted birth control, countless women found themselves unable to care for their children, and this resulted in a lot of orphanages being filled up. But we didn’t know how horrific the conditions truly were. The reason we chose the Belgian report was the lady working for the orphanage who was being interviewed. This is a caregiver who truly believes she is the victim. That to me is the most dangerous aspect: that anyone could become that person who considers themselves innocent in a broken system.

Having just had your world premiere here in Warsaw, how was the process of bringing the film to the screen?

AB: This project was a long journey. We wrote the script before the pandemic, but securing funding and completing post-production took much longer than expected.

MP: It was a long and stressful process. I wore many different hats, from handling costumes to finding locations. As an actress, I usually don’t like seeing myself on screen, so it felt strange to watch and judge my own work as a director as well. Seeing the finished film felt like a huge relief.

Do you have a specific approach to working with your actors? Is dialogue improvised or strictly scripted?

AB: Everything was strictly scripted, mainly because we had very few shooting days. Once you subtract the hours needed for lighting, set corrections, and all the other technical aspects, there’s very little time left to experiment. We needed everyone to know exactly what to do. We prepared carefully, rehearsed a lot, took into account unforeseen issues, and were prepared to fix them. We had to fit everything into a tight budget. By the time we arrived on set and started filming, everyone knew exactly what to do. The downside of this approach is that it can sometimes feel a bit too theatrical.

As a couple, has your personal and professional relationship changed throughout it all?

AB: We have been married for many years, and have faced situations more stressful than this film. The project worked because we truly wanted to do it, but we also did a test run by making a short, The Seagull.

MP: I wrote the script intending to direct it myself, but I worried I couldn’t judge my own performance objectively. So I turned to the person closest to me, Alex, who helped, as we share the same vision of the film. Once the cameras roll and he’s directing, I can fully focus on my role.

So it’s like a symbiotic relationship?

AB & MP: Yes, but the personal relationship helps the professional relationship, not the other way around.

©FIPRESCI 2025