Everybody knows who Caligula is, and they attach his name to a blinded tyranny competing with the power of the gods. However, Mihai Măniuțiu interprets Camus’s excellent play from a surprising and very original viewpoint. Măniuțiu’s Caligula attempts the impossible. He wants to rearrange the world because, “I’m not satisfied with the way the world is arranged now”. The death of the emperor’s daughter suddenly enables him to perceive the simplest truth possible: “People die and they are not happy.” The director does not present a political drama, he is not interested in the nature of tyranny either; rather, he considers the interesting but frightening issue of attaining joy. Is death conquerable? What are the consequences of being stripped of our tactful lies, of being forced to face one’s own situation?
András Visky