THE FIXER

THE FIXER is an engaging and very topical drama involving crossed borders, elitist disdain for local people, and reporters who use the “truth” to their advantage. Radu, an ambitious would-be journalist in Bucharest, works as a “fixer,” hired by foreign news organizations to help arrange stories. To boost his journalistic cred, Radu offers his contacts in Paris an exclusive scoop. Having heard that a Romanian girl who was sold into prostitution in France has since been repatriated, he promises them an interview at the abbey where she’s being sheltered. However, the locals, unimpressed by the sudden appearance of self-important French TV reporters, refuse them access, citing the need to protect the traumatized girl. Radu and the journalists push forward with their interrogations, oblivious to the exploitative nature of their methods. THE FIXER, incisive and finely acted, suggests we might cause less emotional damage if we stop trying to control people—and their stories. (In English, Romanian, and French with subtitles) —B.B.