BAD LUCK BANGING OR LOONY PORN -- An Unpleasant but Impassioned Satire

Review by Sean Boelman

Katia Pascariu in BAD LUCK BANGING OR LOONY PORN, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude is nothing if not unique, and his newest film Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn is definitely one of the more unorthodox movies to come out this year. However, despite having a compelling premise, a messy (almost scattershot) structure keeps this from being more than a zany and pretentious art house film.

The movie follows a teacher who comes under fire from the local community when her personal sex tape is leaked online, causing a great deal of outrage. It’s a premise that seems opportune for some great situational comedy, but Jude almost gets too caught up in his political message for his film to be especially funny.

One of the biggest issues with the movie is that it bites off more than it can chew in a thematic sense. The main message about freedom of speech and invasion of privacy is compelling and discussed in a thought-provoking way, but there is too much else going on in the film. Jude does not let the audience lose track of the fact that this is a COVID-19 movie, but it doesn’t say that much about it that is interesting.

And then there is the pacing of the film. After getting off to an extremely (and hilariously) graphic running start, the movie devolves into a bunch of wandering for the first chapter. And the third chapter is exactly what viewers likely expected from the premise. But the second chapter is very difficult to get through, a visual essay that has little audio and tells its story only through captions.

A scene from BAD LUCK BANGING OR LOONY PORN, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

The character development in the film shows a lot of potential, but any momentum the protagonist’s arc has is lost when the movie shifts into its less narrative format for the middle third. Had Jude focused exclusively on the central plot of the film, the result undoubtedly would have been much more intriguing.

In the final third of the movie, Katia Pascariu does an excellent job in her role, but it is frustrating to see how underutilized she is for the rest of the runtime. And the actors who play the angry mob of townspeople fighting back against the supposed obscenity are all gleefully over-the-top, fitting the satirical nature of the film.

For a movie made during the COVID-19 pandemic, the first and final third of the film are quite well-made. Although the mask wearing and social distance limit blocking and the camera, Jude still does a good job of creating isolation in the first act and entrapment in the third act. The middle portion is a whole different beast, but is technically accomplished.

Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn is not an agreeable film by any means, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t value in it. It’s easy to admire Jude’s movie for what he was trying to do, even if one isn’t on the same wavelength as him.

Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn is now in theaters.

​Rating: 2.5/5