Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 2, 2026

R.M.N.

R.M.N. is a 2022 drama film produced, written and directed by Cristian Mungiu. Set in a multi-ethnic village in Transylvania during the 2019–20 holiday season, it's based on the 2020 Ditrău xenophobic incident. It follows Matthias, a man who returns from Germany, and his ex-lover Csilla, who works in the village. Mungiu named the film after the Romanian acronym for nuclear magnetic resonance, as the film is "an investigation of the brain, a brain scan trying to detect things below the surface".

Last revised
Aug 2, 2026
Read time
≈ 3 min
Length
758 w
Citations
18
Source
Wikipedia ↗
R.M.N.
Romanian theatrical release poster
Directed byCristian Mungiu
Written byCristian Mungiu
Produced byCristian Mungiu
Starring
  • Marin Grigore
  • Judith State
CinematographyTudor Vladimir Panduru
Edited byMircea Olteanu
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • Voodoo Films (Romania)
  • Le Pacte (France)
Release dates
  • 21 May 2022 (2022-05-21) (Cannes)
  • 3 June 2022 (2022-06-03) (Romania)
Running time
125 minutes
Countries
  • Romania
  • France
  • Belgium
  • Sweden
Languages
  • Romanian
  • Hungarian
  • German
  • English
  • French
Budget€2.8 million1
Box office$740,000

R.M.N. is a 2022 drama film produced, written and directed by Cristian Mungiu. Set in a multi-ethnic village in Transylvania during the 2019–20 holiday season, it's based on the 2020 Ditrău xenophobic incident.2 It follows Matthias, a man who returns from Germany, and his ex-lover Csilla, who works in the village. Mungiu named the film after the Romanian acronym for nuclear magnetic resonance, as the film is "an investigation of the brain, a brain scan trying to detect things below the surface".3

The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on 21 May, where it competed for the Palme d'Or. It received critical acclaim, with praise towards Mungiu's direction and screenplay. It was theatrically released in Romania by Voodoo Films on 3 June.

Cast

  • Marin Grigore as Matthias
  • Judith State as Csilla
  • Macrina Bârlădeanu as Ana
  • Orsolya Moldován as Mrs. Dénes
  • Andrei Finți as Papa Otto
  • Mark Blenyesi as Rudi
  • Ovidiu Crișan as Mr. Baciu

Production

A co-production between Romania, France, Belgium and Sweden.456 It was produced by Mobra Films, Why Not Productions, France 3 Cinéma, Les Films du Fleuve and Film i Väst.

Mungiu wrote the screenplay in the spring of 2021.3 Filming took place from November 2021 to January 2022 in Rimetea and other villages across Transylvania.1

Release

The film premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival in the main competition. In May 2022, IFC Films acquired the North American rights ahead of the premiere,7 and released it in US theaters on April 28, 2023.8

It also screened at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival,9 in the Contemporary World Cinema category, as well as at the 29th edition of the European Film Festival Palić, and the 15th edition of the Central and Eastern European Film Festival in Luxembourg.

Reception

Box office

It grossed $740k in its worldwide theatrical run.10 France represented more than 50% of the global total, with a $372k total run in French cinemas.10

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 69 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "R.M.N.'s spare, elegant approach lends a deceptively cool surface to its caustic take on cultural divisions."11

Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".12

Accolades

It was awarded the Golden Tower for Best Film at the 2022 European Film Festival Palić1314 and received a Special Mention from the Press Jury of the 2022 CinEast Film Festival in Luxembourg.15

References

References

  1. "Cristian Mungiu Back in Cannes' Competition with R.M.N." FilmNewEurope.com. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  2. Lattanzio, Ryan (28 April 2023). "Cristian Mungiu: 'I Pass as Being Radical in the States, but Here I'm Very Mainstream'". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 14 May 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  3. "Press kit". Wild Bunch. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  4. Kiang, Jessica (21 May 2022). "'R.M.N.' Review: Cristian Mungiu's Nightmarish Naturalism Detonates a Scabrous Social-Division Drama". Variety. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  5. Mintzer, Jordan (21 May 2022). "'R.M.N.': Film Review | Cannes 2022". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  6. "RMN". Unifrance. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  7. Lang, Brent (17 May 2022). "IFC Films Buys Cristian Mungiu's 'R.M.N.' Ahead of Cannes Debut (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  8. Roxborough, Scott (28 April 2023). "'R.M.N.' Director Cristian Mungiu on Xenophobia and the Dangers of "Politically Correct" Filmmaking". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  9. Gonzalez, Hector (11 September 2022). "R.M.N. (TIFF Review): Hatred Slowly Deteriorates the Mind". Loud and Clear Reviews. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  10. "R.M.N." Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  11. "R.M.N." Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  12. "R.M.N." Metacritic. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  13. Janković, Zoran (25 July 2022). "Golden Tower awarded to Cristian Mungiu for his film R.M.N." Film New Europe (FNE). Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  14. Rivera, Alfonso (25 July 2022). "Cristian Mungiu's R.M.N. wins the Palić Golden Tower". Cineuropa. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  15. H, K (24 October 2022). "Many Winners at 15th CinEast Film Festival". Chronicle.lu. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
External links