The Certainty of Probabilities (2021): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2021, The Certainty of Probabilities is a documentary film directed by Raluca Durbacă, running about 90 minutes.

What it’s about. 1968, The Socialist Republic of Romania. Women catch up on the latest tendencies in beachwear, the young hippies of Hamburg are harshly criticized by Romanian students, while Nicolae Ceaușescu reads the famous defiance speech against the intervention of the Warsaw Pact troops in Czechoslovakia. Floating solemnly over all this is The Internationale, sung on a stadium by a crowd of pioneers dressed in white shirts and red ties. A certainty for each probability: the documentary is at the same time a history lesson and an ideological warning sign, the director’s endeavour permanently draws our attention to the functions of the propaganda film, yet without tarnishing the fascination that dwells in the core of the images, that of the figures that wave at us from a past buried in commonplaces and political parti pris.

Who’s in it. The Certainty of Probabilities stars Nicolae Ceaușescu as Himself, Ion Iliescu as Himself, Elena Ceaușescu as Herself and Ilarion Ciobanu as Himself.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Certainty of Probabilities page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Certainty of Probabilities tend to enjoy One Direction: This Is Us, Burn the Stage: The Movie, BTS World Tour: Love Yourself - Japan Edition and Senna.