Radu Jude, Richard Rorty and the Barbarians: Art, Irony and Solidarity in a Hypernormalised World

This article reads Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude’s incisive satire “I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians” (2018) through the lens of Richard Rorty’s Contingency, Irony and Solidarity (1989) to consider the relevance and utility of liberal ironism in our contemporary political landscape. Where some have suggested authoritative, foundationalist arguments are necessary to overcome post-truth, relativism and the resurgence of fascism, Jude offers a contrasting exploration of the tension between contingency and authority inherent in our descriptive practices. Analysing the central dialogue/dialectic between liberal theatre director Mariana and sceptical city council representative Movila, I consider how the film complicates liberal assumptions, exposes the outdated aesthetic strategies of political modernism and challenges our faith in the redemptive, redescriptive power of art. Then, with reference to documentaries by Chris Marker and Adam Curtis, as well as Jude’s more recent feature Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (2021), I argue that Jude affirms and extends Rorty’s commitment to the oscillating potentials of art and conversation as our best hope for achieving greater solidarity.