Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World 2024

Overworked and underpaid production assistant Angela is given the demanding task of casting for a workplace safety video commissioned by a multinational corporation based in Austria. Her day commences early at 5:50 AM, where she navigates the bustling streets of Bucharest, interviewing injured workers. To fuel her long hours, she relies heavily on caffeine while simultaneously using her downtime to create provocative and controversial rants on Instagram as her male influencer persona, Bobiță, reminiscent of Andrew Tate. Amidst her work duties, Angela faces personal challenges, including a detour to negotiate the reburial of her grandparents, whose grave site is at risk due to a clerical mistake involving a new housing development.

While on an errand to buy lenses, she unexpectedly encounters renowned director Uwe Boll on set, leading to a unique opportunity to film a Bobiță video with him. Further along her journey, Angela visits a candidate’s apartment where she meets a retired female taxi driver, also named Angela. This encounter is interwoven with clips from the 1981 film Angela Goes On, directed by Lucian Bratu, enriching the narrative with visual storytelling.

The story deepens as Ovidiu Bucă, a worker who suffered a severe head injury and is now confined to a wheelchair, is selected to be the centerpiece of the safety video. This decision follows a Zoom call with Doris Goethe, the head of marketing for the corporation. Seizing a brief opportunity, Angela shares an intimate moment with her boyfriend in the car before heading to the airport to collect Doris, who has flown in to oversee the shoot. During their drive, Angela expresses her apprehension about driving on the DN2, a road notorious for being marked with more crosses commemorating accident victims than kilometers traveled.

As shooting begins at the site where Ovidiu’s accident occurred, chaos quickly ensues. Ovidiu is pushed to recount the details of his traumatic incident again and again, during which he reveals the abysmal workplace conditions and the company’s blame-shifting liability. Unfortunately, he faces pressure to alter his story, suggesting that his failure to wear a safety helmet was the primary cause of his injury. This situation raises alarms for Ovidiu’s family, who are anxious that such statements could jeopardize their ongoing lawsuit against the company, even though they desperately rely on the money from the video project. At the conclusion of the filming, the filmmakers invite the family out for lunch, but a frustrated Angela convinces them to head straight home in her car, wanting to shield them from further distress.