Original subtitles

-Oh my God, come on. -Is this the place?

-The flag, look at the flag! -Where do you see the flag?

There it is, on the pole. Come on, go on in.

My condolences. Stefan Mandachi.

-Stefan Mandachi. -Ion.

I'm so sorry.

I heard about your tragedy and I was deeply touched.

I was honestly afraid to come here.

We don't want to intrude or anything like that…

We're working on a project about the lack of highways in Romania.

Oh my God!

And the five year old kid… The kids were in the back seat, right?

Yes, in the back seat, with their seatbelts on.

And the woman was also wearing her seatbelt?

Yes, they all had their seatbelts on.

Oh, my God!

Where were the kids injured? How were they injured?

They hit their heads.

Just terrible…Terrible!

-They weren't doing anything wrong? -No, they were following the rules.

Come on.

Please, come have some juice.

Come into the house!

My condolences.

-Are we going inside? -Yes, sure.

First, ask the Lord

to take care of these innocent children

moved into eternity.

Nothing brings comfort,

to the family and to everyone else.

God, You take car of the children in this life,

and in the next one, because they are pure,

take them in a bright place,

where are the souls of the innocent,

receive in Your home the soul of the children.

Christ rise from de dead

and gave life to the worthy ones.

God Almighty,

through the prayers of Mary, Mother of Christ,

take the souls of the innocent

in a place full of peace, watched over by angels.

Have mercy on us, sinners,

because You are full of love.

CHAPTER 1: 30 YEARS

I know that every month in Romania about 150 people die in car accidents.

In other words, the equivalent of a plane crash each month in Romania.

We're adding the information that Romania has the most dangerous roads in the EU.

I say roads, because there are no highways.

There are so few of them.

We're the country with the fewest highways in relation to land size.

What worries us most is that in Romania people die on the roads.

Here again, Romania has the highest numbers in the EU.

We're crossing the Carpathian Mountains on Roman and Austro-Hungarian roads.

You, as well as I, when going towards Transylvania.

From Moldova as well, Roman and Austro-Hungarian roads…

improved by Ceausescu, it's true…

That's shameful!

The first ones to blame or the fact that we have no highways

are the Romanian people!

Because we weren't capable

of electing leaders to build them.

They say you can't remember things

that happened to you before the age of four,

and that if you do remember something,

you can't be sure that's how it really happened.

I wasn't even four when the revolution took place…

Go back to your places, comrades!

…in December 1989.

Even so, I can't forget how my grandma cried, and how scared she was.

She didn't quite know why she was crying but I had a feeling she pitied Ceausescu.

I didn't know what was happening, but it seemed important.

Please, ask him to sit on the bed.

Among the images of the Ceausescus,

I was also seeing two people that seemed to be saving the country:

Petre Roman and Iliescu.

My brothers, the dictator Ceausescu has been overthrown.

Dear viewers, we are glad to have Ion Iliescu here in the studio!

Bravo!

He's the son of a revolutionary, of a patriot!

He himself is a patriot!

I never quite understood who was shooting and who was dying…

There was a general sense of fear in our house.

The Revolution was live on TV.

I was staring at images of Ceausescu and his wife lying dead.

He seemed sweaty

and smoke seemed to be coming out of his coat.

I remember she had a fur collar on her coat.

REST IN PEACE, OUR DEAD

ETERNAL GLORY TO THE FALLEN ONES

More than 1,000 people died in the revolution of 1989.

Nearly all of them innocent…

One, two, go!

Bravo!

Back then, I was living with my family in the countryside

in a village called St. Ilie.

After the Revolution, Mom brought home a video player.

I watched Bruce Lee movies all day long.

He was my childhood hero… along with Jean-Claude van Damme.

I would watch these movies

and then recreate the karate moves with my twin brother.

When I wasn't fighting him, I was drawing ninjas or cars.

Especially after I got a toy car as a present.

A Lamborghini Diablo!

Santa Claus with white hair

Came through the snow

After that, I became fascinated with cars.

I was driving cars all day long, on imaginary roads.

-Santa Claus! -Bravo!

When we'd go into the city to Suceava,

my brother and I would compete

to find the fastest car in the parking lot.

I was the first to find a foreign model that went 220km/hour.

It was a Citroen.

The first expensive cars started to appear in Romania

brought from the West by Romanian "nouveau riches".

My dream was to also own a foreign car one day.

Any car, as long as it wasn't a Dacia.

Most chances we had to see foreign cars were when we'd go to the seaside.

We had a station wagon.

My brother and I were staring out the window

and terrorizing our Dad to pass as many cars as possible with our Dacia.

Mom would tell him to slow down because "he's not one of the kids".

The sea, the beach, the sun are all waiting for us

to enjoy all they have to offer.

It's just as true that these pleasures cannot be overshadowed

by tragic events that we're rarely facing…

I mean, often, on public roads.

These are the unfortunate consequences of ignoring traffic laws.

The noise would suddenly stop when we'd come across a car accident.

Dad would point to the carnage and then he'd scold us.

"How can you drive fast on these roads?!"

Mom would make the sign of the cross and forbid us to look.

But we would peek, even though we were scared.

After every accident, they would mumble that nothing works in this country…

That we have no roads, no streets…

Followed by intense debates about our politicians.

I would have never imagined that over the years

I would meet many of them in person.

When I was the Prime Minister,

in September 1991,

I made an agreement with two of the most important Italian firms,

that had built thousands of kilometers of highways.

We planned on building 4,000 km of highways

for 6,8 billion dollars.

Romania didn't have resources to build 4,000 km of highways.

We didn't have the money.

No one would lend Romania a cent

because they had no idea what was going on here.

Thousands of miners, with bats and chains, fires and so on…

All the political and economic trust

just crashed to below zero!

Obviously, nothing could be achieved after that!

I was five, at that time.

It felt like watching the Revolution all over again.

And now it was broadcast live on TV.

If we add the deaths from the Mineriads to the ones from the Revolution,

add to the calculation Romania's biggest plane crash,

plus everyone who died in floods and fires from '89 to 2020,

and, on top of that, if we add all the victims of the '77 earthquake,

it's still less than the amount of people

who die here in car crashes in a single year.

For example, in Romania in 1991, 3,078 lost their lives on the roads.

Thousands of people continue to die every year in car crashes.

But it's not publicized as it should be.

In '93, Dad bought me my first pair of jeans.

Two sizes too big, as was the style back then.

I tore my jeans playing soccer

when Raducioiu and Hagi had convinced me that I was going to be a soccer player.

Hagi has the ball,

Ionut Lupescu is in a good position.

He passes to Hagi.

Hagi's passing to Ilie Dumitrescu.

Goal!

When it came to soccer, I was really proud of Romania.

Outside of that, when I turned ten, I was very much concerned with politics.

Instead of watching soccer on Eurosport,

I had to watch political debates with my parents,

and I was even starting to understand them.

Concerning the theoretical part,

I never denied you are rather good, Mr. Iliescu.

-In theory and in statements. -Not only in theory, Mr. Constantinescu.

In theory, absolutely! You're wonderful there…

I was talking about a constitutional principle.

You, with the juridical education you have,

you could understand it better than me.

I want to point out that…

that you're being too colloquial…

I'd stop caring about politics and forget about soccer

when I'd drive bumper cars at the fair.

I loved to take sharp turns

until someone else slammed into me with his car.

I hit my head on the wheel and broke two teeth.

Driving is no joke!

You can get in trouble on any road.

Our big issue is the terrestrial infrastructure,

so roads and railway infrastructure,

which, for decades,

we haven't been able to raise to an acceptable standard.

You sold the topic rather well, like in the Ministry of Transportation.

There are so many accidents on the national roads.

And that is because our roads are not safe,

and not only because of speed.

Because many people think that accidents are just because of speeding.

But we have roads that leave you with absolutely no margin of error.

There are roads that simply need another lane.

I remember that I met with a politician, with Mr. Basescu,

in his office, during the '90s.

In his office at the Ministry of Transportation.

And, at the end of our conversation, I asked him,

off the record, "how about those highways?"

"Don't we want to build any?"

I remember it clearly, I was close to a wall,

with a map of the Romanian transportation network on it, and he said "Look."

"That's the plan I'm thinking of. This is what we need.

We don't need highways, they are too expensive.

We need express roads, there will be enough of those.

We will never have enough traffic to need highways."

At the end of the '90s, I was playing soccer all day long.

I scored two goals in the final of the National Junior League.

As a reward, my Dad taught me how to drive.

As a new driver,

I was starting to understand the importance of good roads.

Not long after, when I was 13,

I stole my Grandpa's car and took my friends for a joyride.

It was a Volkswagon Jetta.

I was obsessed with that car.

I still see it, every day.

I have a mural of it.

It's a scene inspired by Mad Max.

The movie looks like it was shot on our roads in the '90s.

But life is better than movies.

In real life, our country's roads were a disaster,

and we really needed those highways.

Our main issue is building a highway towards the West

if we are taking into consideration becoming part of the EU.

Sure, some are upset about our air fleet, others over our roads…

Everyone is upset about something.

Even for a teen, it was easy to understand what a highway was.

A larger, safer road, with no crosses, and high speeds.

Like abroad.

In 2004, I went abroad for the first time.

With a temporary visa, we went on a school trip through Europe.

I was finally stepping in the EU.

The enchanted realm for most Romanians.

Our only hope of being saved!

I took a thousand photos of old buildings and monuments,

but I was just as delighted about my own discovery.

European tourism and economy were connected through highways.

From Hungary to Paris, we drove only on the highway!

It became clear to me that, after EU integration,

we would also get highways.

Our Bucovina monasteries would be connected with all of Europe.

We, too, would get millions of tourists,

just as we visit them

The future looked bright, and everything was coming together.

I was finally getting my driver's license!

I was feeling fulfilled.

Especially since now I could also vote.

And, as a grown man,

I had to be careful for whom I was casting my vote.

What curse has come over this country

that it ended up

choosing between two former communists?

Between Adrian Nastase and Basescu.

At that time Basescu won my vote,

I don't know if it was the same for others,

because he promised a highway from Arad to Constanta.

The second one to blame is his partner from back then

the Prime Minister, Calin Anton Constantin Popescu Tariceanu,

who, in four years, didn't manage to build one meter of highway!

So, there are no highways and that's why people are dying.

So the culprits are the Romanian presidents,

who didn't know how to push the political class

to build highways, so that fewer people die.

Ion Iliescu is to be blamed, mainly,

because he didn't have… the wisdom, let's say,

to push Romania towards Europe.

Nicolae Vacaroiu had a period of political stability,

but nothing happened with infrastructure.

I nominate myself.

It's easy to blame others.

Adrian Nastase is the first in the ranking,

I also know him very well.

Traian Basescu stopped the works, after 2004,

trying to see if the American company

paid a fee to the socialist PSD government

or even to myself, personally.

Basescu was saying, "Tariceanu doesn't let me build."

Iohannis says, "Dragnea is to blame".

Dragnea is blaming Iohannis.

Are they all equally to blame?

Categorically, they can't all be on the same level.

Who's the guiltiest?

Many are the guiltiest.

After many years, and many struggles, we made it into the EU.

I was a university student at the time.

I was driving 145 km from Suceava to Iasi every week.

Over four years I drove this route maybe 400 times.

When we were in high school,

I my brother and I would fight over who got to drive.

Now neither of us wanted to drive.

I was forced to drive on a road that passed through 21 villages

and was interrupted by four railroad tracks.

I had to pay attention to pedestrians,

bikers, animals, tractors, carts, and trucks

that were circulating like blocks on wheels, from the opposite direction.

The driving directions were not separated.

There was no protective parapet.

Every time I passed someone, I was forced to go on the opposite lane.

The road to Iasi took almost three hours,

instead of the one hour it would take on a highway.

Between then and now, 2020, nothing has changed!

From around 2000 we could have focused on highways,

and we really could have from 2007.

Since we'd just been accepted into the EU, our politicians were promising

that we'd have a highway network

that would cover to country from one border to the other,

but not before 2016.

That's when I really started to get angry.

I was getting older, but still no highways.

I would turn 30 in 2016

It's too early to say we're seeing something consistent from a helicopter.

Bechtel doesn't have the workforce to keep up with the money we're spending.

In the next eight years, we'll have more than 2,000 km of highways

and express roads.

In the next few years we will build 725 km of highways.

We will build 608,91 km,

of which 6,3 km will be highways

from the state budget.

Luckily we're inaugurating highways, so that I get the chance to drive.

It's important to inaugurate them!

You know how it goes, inaugurating 10 km…

Short Prime Ministers give you short highways.

Whereas when the highway is longer you'll see tall PMs behind it.

here are two major investments planned for Moldova

that I am going to support with all my strength.

Targu Mures - Iasi - Ungheni

and the second highway project, connecting Northern and Southern Moldova,

Ploiesti - Focsani - Bacau - Suceava.

For thirty years, we talked too much and did too little.

I calculated that, if every day in these thirty years

we had ten politicians speaking for two hours on TV

and, probably, these assumptions are realistic enough,

we would have 1,000 people

that could have worked three years daily for this country.

Between Pitesti and Slatina, but also between Pitesti and Craiova,

there is a national road with many deadly accidents,

on which you see signs with

"This number of yearly deaths on this road. Drive slowly!"

There was this movement

for what we used to call the "Oltenia highway"

with which PSD won the votes of the people in the region.

Guess what? A few years later,

us, from Oltenia and you, from Moldova, were mocking each other

about highways being built for us that we never saw.

Transylvania highway project was handled carelessly.

How long has Mr. Basescu been president? Since 2004? Yes, since 2004.

Until now, there were 40 km built around Cluj.

Very good, I'm not saying it was bad.

But that was all.

Next year is 2014. The Transylvania highway started in 2004.

We lost ten years out of stupidity, it's as simple as that.

At one point, they even talked about the costs

per highway kilometer in Romania being too high.

World Bank says it should be 40% cheaper.

-Why is it so expensive in Romania? -I've stated that…

We have evaluations that it should be 30% cheaper.

We will have, if you ask me, at the end of 2020

after we finish these 1,780 km, that are under development right now,

around 3,000 km of highway.

3,000 km, you say?

Romania will have, in six years, 3,000 km of highway?

Oh my God, he's totally lost it!

Right now we have somewhere under 700 km,

and Dan Sova says that by 2020

we'll build 2,300 km more!

So that means if we build

around 380 km each year--

a year has, in general, 365 days.

We don't know how Sova sees it, but it holds true for the rest of us.

It means we should be building more than one km of highway per day!

Do you realize that?

Now, while we're talking and Dan Sova is yawning somewhere in the Government

the workers are finishing a new kilometer of highway.

Where does he come up with that?

In ten years, a person can finish university,

finish a Master's program,

work for about two years, then start a business,

then develop it around the whole country.

I did all this from 2005 to 2016.

Time flies so fast!

During this time,

officials didn't manage to build

a single meter of highway in all of Moldova.

I was running myself ragged working on being successful.

My Mom was all over me to take it easy otherwise I'd break.

This is the best!

"What would you do if you were forced to take a day off?"

To develop my business,

I had to cross Romania tens of times, from one end to the other.

Even more, I had business travel abroad, as well.

When I ended up on a suspended highway with ten lanes in one direction,

I grew even angrier

about how many innocent people die on Romania's streets every day.

And I could be one of them.

No!

-Oh my God! -There's a dead man lying there!

Oh my God!

Oh my God!

It was 2014.

I was coming back from Bucharest with Stefan, from a franchising fair.

Around Urziceni,

I saw a car coming our way from the opposite direction, zig zagging.

I got scared, and pulled the wheel to the right.

I saw the other car rolling towards us

and the driver was simply thrown through the windscreen.

We stopped the car and ran towards him.

It was an older man.

We heard and saw him snort.

Stefan went and tried to resuscitate him,

but the man died.

Driving towards Suceava, it was the only thing we talked about.

From that point on,

Stefan talked a lot about the lack of highways

and how easy it is to die on our roads.

2016. I made it to age 30.

Nothing changed.

2017. Nothing.

And here we are, in 2018.

EUROPEAN HIGHWAY NETWORK 2018

We are beginning construction on the Bucharest - Suceava highway.

Alternate route through Barlad.

Did you see anything built? Could you place your finger on something?

A hospital?

Any project… Highway? Anything?

Today we're talking again about budgets for feasibility studies.

We did 200 already.

They're not canned fish, they don't expire.

They are there. The map did not change!

Moldova is the only major region without a highway,

even though this project has been on the public agenda for eleven years.

The president just criticizes the lack of highways.

But I don't think he can do anything.

He didn't try, at least, to encourage the construction of highways.

You know what the big problem is?

In 2016, '17 and '18, and now halfway through 2019,

we didn't sign any new contracts.

We will have a time, 2021, '22 and '23

when we won't have any new highways to inaugurate.

And then the frustration will grow even more.

"Hey, come on, we all steal a little."

"It's OK, but also do something for the country…

But, obviously, everybody steals…"

I think this is one of the elements that block us.

The idea that stealing is OK.

Corruption, of course.

It's incredible.

This factor can never be neglected!

Shouldn't we all be fucking furious?

Crazy? Revolting?

At the moment when you realize

what incapable and irresponsible leaders we have?

You cannot just start building highways however the hell you want,

because every politician wants a highway in his district.

I want it in Targu Jiu, Dragnea wants it in Teleorman.

I went on Wikipedia,

otherwise, everybody says "I built, and the others didn't".

The only years, after Ceausescu and until now,

when more than 100 km were built, were 2012 and '13.

I'm living over and over the same story.

Everything starts over and over, when a new government is in place.

And, in Romania, new governments appear really often.

They're all just as guilty.

When you become a prime minister,

I'm not accepting this explanation,

that you just wanted more research.

No, you accepted to be a PM, then do something!

I was in China, as an official of the Economic Commission,

at the invitation of the Chinese government.

They looked us in the eye,

and told us they can build, with their own investment,

2,000 km of highway per year.

We almost fell out of our chairs!

We thought we misunderstood.

2,000 km… per year… with their money!

Why aren't we allowing them?

So instead of having to brake a thousand times in every village,

and drive 50 km per hour,

driving long enough to pickle vegetables,

maybe one pays five lei at the entrance to the highway.

But, are there investors that want to invest in such a project?

Oh my God, yes!

Loads!

-So why isn't it being done? -Because you can't take bribes from them!

That's why.

You can't ask for bribes, right?

They won't do it. The Chinese wouldn't do it! Not really.

It's really sad! We're 30 years after the Revolution,

12 years after EU integration.

52 billion euro were invested in the Romanian economy.

We're not lacking money.

We're not missing the land.

We're not lacking in materials, labor force.

nor the intelligence we would need for building highways.

ROMANIAN HEADS OF STATE PRESIDENTS - PRIME-MINISTERS

THEY BUILT 737 KM OF HIGHWAY IN 30 YEARS

You go from Suceava to Timisoara

to work there, let's say, for four hours.

You have to drive for twelve hours on roads that are not safe.

Drive there for one day, come back another day,

and work for four hours.

By plane, I go in the morning, come back in the evening,

as if I lived in Suceava.

It cost me over four million.

But, I noticed, from the moment I could take better care of my business,

I covered the costs and even made some profit.

At this time, though, in Romania,

there is no bigger obstacle to the country's development

than the lack of infrastructure.

Most people say,

"you have beautiful buildings and landscapes,

the best wine and the best brandy,

but the roads… a disaster!"

The roads let us all down.

That's that.

Nobody can develop, in Romania, nowadays--

I'm talking about companies--

in the absence of highways to connect the West to the East

and the North to the South.

You suppose you get there…

I have the feeling I live in an isolated town, in Romania.

For example, I didn't open any factories in my district

because it would be bad for business.

The is no road to profitably transport my merchandise from here.

One thing is to have a driver on the road for six hours,

have him go back home to sleep,

and another to send him on a twelve hour route, till Timisoara,

pay per diem, housing, sleeping in the car or I don't know,

and then come back.

The costs for companies are very high,

especially transportation costs and time for business.

And this reduces the competitiveness of companies.

Also, foreign investments are discouraged

because of poor infrastructure.

And, if we're measuring foreign investments,

in the past 30 years,

compared to our GDP, Romania is in last place in the EU.

Many investments were lost for Romania

the moment that locations were measured,

and Romania lost investments

even though it was attractive in other aspects,

because of under-developed infrastructure.

Mercedes, Volkswagen, they gave up.

Viktor Orban, Hungary's Prime Minister, says,

"I have an advantage over Romania, because I have highways.

Romania doesn't."

BMW went 70 km away from Oradea, into Hungary,

even though Hungarian labor force is 30% more expensive,

if we think about the average net salary per employee.

It's easy, we're not trying to land on Mars.

We're not Americans.

We just want highways.

In Romania, when someone dies in a car crash,

the damage costs 1,25 million euros to record.

Last year, in Romania, there were more than 1,800 deaths in traffic.

Do the math, and the costs are huge!

Over four billion, the costs paid by all of us!

Many of the car accidents, frontal car crashes,

accidents caused by irregular overruns,

could all be avoided, if we had highways.

Even for pedestrians.

If we're counting the villages with high traffic,

high speed kills pedestrians, children.

If you would have a highway

to avoid this traffic passing through villages,

many lives would be saved.

The lives of pedestrians, as well.

We could never talk about the number of crashes being zero.

However, decreasing them depends directly

on building roads and highways,

and on improving the level of education.

In 2011, I was involved in a car crash

that resulted in injuries and deaths.

I had a spinal cord injury,

my spine was fractured.

In the same accident, my boyfriend lost his life.

I think I asked if I could still ski that season.

My therapist looked at me and said,

"Nobody told you anything?"

I broke the last two vertebrae in the neck area.

Completely fractured… and affected the marrow.

The consequences were a complete paralysis from neck down.

After years of therapy, I managed to regain the use of my arms.

I had internal bleeding,

pneumothorax, water in my lungs,

pelvic fracture,

clavicle fracture…

I can't even remember them all, there were so many.

Spine fracture.

That put me in the wheelchair.

I am the victim and survivor of a car crash.

At the time of impact, the car door jumped,

I jumped through the window,

at about 30 meters from the place of collision,

and I hit a parapet with my head.

My father died, four days after the crash.

He had a heart attack, because of the stress.

He was just gone…

I found out after three weeks

that my Dad was no longer there.

I asked what was going on. When is the anesthetic going to wear off?

They told me there's no anesthetic.

My spine broke, and I'll never walk again.

OK.

I think that, if our district road would have been on EU level

or, if I were on a highway,

I wouldn't be in a wheelchair today.

The kids went out on their bikes and David had an accident.

I asked, "is he okay?" And they told me, "they are trying to resuscitate him."

You see so many American movies

in which you transmit positive energies,

you're there, near his bed and, somehow,

you give him the will to live and…

We hoped we could get there and give him the will to wake up.

I know we were in our car, ready for a three hour drive.

Just three hours.

I didn't get there, to see him still alive

because in three hours by car in Romania…

you can't get anywhere.

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

here are today's news!

The lack of roads and infrastructure in Romania claims more victims.

A terrible accident, the most terrible of 2019,

took place near Urziceni, and caused the death of ten people.

The traffic directions were not separated by parapets.

A truck entered the opposite direction

ravaging a minibus full of passengers.

They were all commuters, on their way to work,

but death stopped them from getting there.

Seven ambulances and several extrication cars

arrived at the scene.

When they saw the tragedy, even the experienced firefighters,

used to such tragedies on the roads, were terrified.

Ten people died. Eight women and the two drivers.

Of the survivors of the devastating impact,

two women have fractured spines, and two others 5th degree spleen rupture.

The others experienced severe head traumas.

Six victims will be buried today.

Respects can be paid at the village church in Munteni, Buzau.

As a consequence of the tragedy, fifteen kids have lost their parents.

Oh my Lord, why did you take her away from her three children?

Oh, my girl! Our princess!

Oh, my Lord!

It's me.

Yes?

-Hello. -Good day.

-Stefan! -Adriana Petrut. Nice to meet you.

A neighbor came and knocked on the window.

I was living on the ground floor, there, in Viisoara.

So the neighbor came

and he said, "Please come quickly, the train hit the car!"

"What car?"

I was under the impression that they had left half an hour before

and all this happened in five minutes, tops.

So I said, "What car?"

"Your car. The train hit the kids and pushed it far away."

I couldn't believe it.

I said, "Please, explain this to me. My kids left a while ago!"

"The train hit your car, and nobody knows what happened to the kids.

Or how many are dead and how many alive…"

And I said, "Lord, you know what You did and what You will do!"

I couldn't do anything, but didn't want to go there.

I called my husband's boss and told him,

"Please don't tell him now, he's driving to work.

Don't tell him until he gets there."

When he got there, his boss said,

"Mitica, you wanted a car and look what happened!

-What happened? -The train hit your car."

That picture, in that corner

is the last photo taken of them,

not even half an hour before they left home on the 1st of June.

-How many died? -Five…

Four of ours, and another boy,

Rafael, from the village.

You cry, but you cry inside, in your soul. No one knows what's left there.

We can't show it on the outside.

What would I solve, if I cried on the street?

I have to go on with my life, take care of the family and everything.

Uphill…

Where are we going?

-Where are we going? -To the children.

-To see our children. -To the children.

-To see our children. -Yes, our children.

That day, it was the same. A rainy day.

Darius, 20.

Lavinia, she would have turned 19, a week after the accident.

Daria, almost 14.

And Cosmina, almost twelve.

We dug one grave for all of them.

It was done with an excavator.

-One grave? -Yes, just one.

4,7 meters by 2,3 meters.

I took a lot of pills in those times.

That week we took a lot of antidepressants, from our doctor.

Pills to calm us down, and we were… I don't know how to put it…floating…

We were aware of what just happened, but we couldn't cry anymore.

We had a full house, a full table…

My two arms weren't enough to hug them all, now one is too much.

It's not easy. Our soul… nobody is ever going to see it.

My oldest daughter,

preparing the 1st of June cake and eating at home

said, "I want to visit grandma, in Negrilesti, and bring her some cake."

My oldest son said "I also want to go".

My third girl said, "I'm going with them, as well".

Talking to Rafael over Facebook, or I don't know,

Darius told him they are going to Negrilesti.

"Lavinia wants us to go."

So Rafael said "Can I go with you, too?"

I was with them, in the house.

And he said "yes, it's only us."

And Daria told Cosmina "come with us, won't you?"

And Cosmina said she wants to stay and help me put the curtains up.

I'd just washed them--

Cosmina also died?

Yes, the youngest who died in the accident.

And she said she didn't want to go.

Yes, she wanted to help me put up the curtains.

It was the Whitsuntide, we were all at home,

and we cleaned the house.

But Daria said "I want to go", and she went as well.

It was all five of them and, after 200-300 meters they were…

-Which direction were they coming from? -That one.

-So from the other side. -Yes, that one.

And, being on a bit of a slope,

the weeds were pretty tall.

They had no visibility. The weeds were from here to there.

There were people from TV that came and, that day, they cut the weeds.

And they couldn't see the train, it curves its way in.

They were hit over there.

So they were coming from there and the train from over there?

Yes.

-And there were no signs? -No, not these ones.

They put them up last year, in November. But they're not functional yet.

-The signs… -Yes, because there were many complaints.

You see, there are crosses over there.

One and a half years ago four other young people died.

The train came from over there, and threw them all from the taxi.

A girl from that car survived. But the other four died.

Ours were moved 'till the last chestnut, over there.

It's about 200 meters 'till there.

-That way? -Yes.

-And you never saw the car? -No, just passing by.

-But not from close. -No.

It's there, somewhere.

It's there.

-This one? -Yes.

Oh, God!

How could they still be alive? God!

Oh, Lord!

It's my first time seeing it like this. It was just in passing before.

Oh, Lord!

Cosmina was here, in the trunk.

Look, the blanket!

Their blanket…

Look, the blanket. In the trunk.

Lavinia put it there, so that they wouldn't dirty the trunk.

God. My dear…

That's it.

You wonder how they stood there, poor things.

Look…

When you see a train coming your way…

I think they died before they were hit, poor things.

God. My dear…

Now I've seen where you died, my babies.

Isn't it absurd, me going on about highways,

when we don't even have proper signs on the roads?

And the train runs at 50 km an hour.

Like the freight train in interwar times.

The true victims, from my point of view,

are those left behind.

The person who loses his life

has lost everything, they're buried, and that's it.

But what about the children that lose both their parents at once?

The tragedy of car crashes

could be compared to a yearly pandemic

or with the number of casualties of war.

But, we are fighting a war for over 30 years

taking into account that,

besides the 70 thousand deaths, there are also collateral victims.

This makes the number at least ten times greater.

As a business person, since you started your business,

do you have any idea how many coffins you've sold?

Around 1,500-2,000 a year. So, maybe 30-40 thousand in total.

It's something.

We are performing, in general, around 1,500 autopsies a year,

out of which 25%, I believe, are victims of car crashes.

The moment when two cars hit,

the human body, to put it simply, compresses.

Like an accordion.

In the past 30 years since the Revolution,

more than 70 thousand people have died in car crashes.

The population of a city like Calarasi.

And four times more have been injured.

As many as Suceava, Targu Jiu, Zalau, Ploiesti, Braila put together.

WOUNDED - DEAD

When I would hear the sound of an ambulance,

my heart would stop, fearing it was heading towards my family.

I had to do something. Anything!

If I'm not doing anything, I don't have the right to complain.

I've found out about the papers for our trays from typography.

Stefan had already ordered flyers with "Romania wants highways!"

The marketing director called me instantly,

to convince me to convince Stefan to give up,

because maybe I could persuade him better.

We tried to hamper Stefan, in a way,

to involve the "Spartan" brand in his personal project.

ROMANIA WANTS HIGHWAYS!

I ordered on my own accord, without thinking about the consequences

10 million posters with the message, "Romania wants highways."

I was shocked.

I tried to contact Stefan as soon as possible.

To warn him that all these things are going to turn against us.

We'll face controls and political consequences.

I said it's not possible.

We're entering a political zone,

and there is the possibility of facing consequences.

In the summer of 2018, I had an idea.

A general strike of all business people.

In September I started filming for a campaign

to motivate other business people to join me.

A few days after we started, I had to cancel the whole project,

because my mother's health suddenly deteriorated

and she was admitted to a hospital in Iasi.

We immediately went there.

I was with my brother in the car, both stunned by fear.

I'd known my mother was ill since I was little.

I could never explain

how she kept fighting the disease like a lioness--

With a phenomenal force.

I felt so helpless!

Despair took over on the same damn road.

Even though I was in terrible hurry to reach the hospital,

I had to drive, as always,

throughout those 20 villages, between pedestrians and tractors,

paying attention not to hit someone, or get stopped by the radar.

Each minute lost on the road

felt like a minute robbed of my time with Mom.

Stefan called me,

and believe me,

I was really amazed by his demand.

I've been practicing law for twenty years,

but his demand took me by surprise.

He wanted to find a way through which he can sue every Romanian president,

and all heads of government that, from 1990 and until now,

didn't build roads in Moldova.

He was in his car, going towards Iasi.

I asked for details and pushed him to tell me why.

He told me he wants to sue all people listed above,

because he cannot get to Iasi,

where his mom was, unfortunately, in a serious state.

I couldn't tell if he was crying or not.

But I felt so much despair in his voice, as he said,

"I need to get to my mother and I can't! I just can't!"

My mother died the next day.

And with my mother in the coffin,

I was returning from Suceava on the same road.

Because I was afraid that the car we transported her with,

could be hit by someone coming from the opposite direction,

we created a convoy:

me in the front, the car with my mother in the middle

and my brother in the back.

First winter holidays without Mom followed and I couldn't recover from the shock.

For months I couldn't shake the terrible feeling

on that last drive with her.

I had reached the limit.

There was no doubt in my mind.

I knew what I had to do.

CHAPTER 2: 15 MINUTES

The first meter of highway in Moldova was not built by the state,

but by a businessman from Suceava.

The initiative of a businessman, in a national movement.

They want highways, 30 years after the Revolution.

The moment I saw the movie,

I watched it three times in my car yesterday,

I said, "it has to be aired tonight!"

Let's quickly watch the movie and reach a conclusion.

ROMANIA WANTS HIGHWAYS

If you're a teacher, give 15 more minutes of recess to your students.

If you're a mason, put the trowel down for 15 minutes.

If you're driving, stop the car for 15 minutes.

If you want to leave Romania, stay for 15 more minutes.

I'm Stefan Mandachi. I'm not in politics.

I'm not an activist.

I don't belong to any organization or movement.

I'm Romanian. I live in Suceava.

I'm a peasant from St. Ilie, with a Moldovan accent.

As a businessman, I've driven more than 500 thousand kilometers.

I even made a calculation.

Because we have no highways,

I've lost more than a year and a half of my life behind the wheel.

But that doesn't matter anymore!

Starting December 1st, 2018 I've been full of joy.

That day, TV stations started announcing that, finally,

the highway towards Moldova is being built.

The next day, I wanted to run and support the workers!

But, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

We had the New Years Eve Party, the Epiphany, Unification Day.

We're not in China, we can't build 1,000 km per month.

This time, I'm going to Bucharest

to congratulate people on the construction site.

Surely I'll see thousands of people happily working!

Hundreds of cranes, bulldozers, excavators, trucks!

I was so happy, that I forgave all people that are to blame

for the mayhem on the roads in 15 years since I've had a license.

Starting today, I'll forget that in Romania

2,000 people die in car accidents every year.

That is more than the victims of the Revolution.

We pretty much have a Revolution every year.

Since '89, more than 60,000 people have died in car accidents--

The population of a city like Alba-Iulia.

How many of those would have survived if we would have had highways?

I arrived in Falticeni. Nothing.

Roman, Bacau. Nothing.

Focsani? Zero

Buzau. Nothing.

Welcome to Bucharest!

Nothing. But I'm not giving up!

I'm going back on the alternate road.

Braila, Galati, Vaslui, Iasi, Botosani. Nothing.

I made it back alive to Suceava.

I drove 1,000 km over more than 16 hours.

Thousands of cars passed by me, at two-three meters distance.

I went out an ass expecting to come home a horse.

I am to blame, too!

Me, and all Romanians driving on the side of disaster.

Amazingly, we're quiet, indifferent. Maybe we like it here.

If just one of my 500 employees didn't receive his paycheck,

who would be to blame?

Me.

If, on the 25th of each month, my company is not paying full taxes,

who's to blame?

Me, again!

But after 30 years we still don't have a single centimeter of highway in Moldova,

is anyone held responsible?

Because we're taken for fools,

I have a challenge for Romanians all over the world.

On the 15th of March, for 15 minutes, starting at 15:00,

I'm suspending the activity of my 40 restaurants.

Solidarity for the highways.

Challenge just three people to suspend their activity.

It's really easy!

I'm challenging three entrepreneurs:

Ion Tiriac, Gigi Becali and Viorel Catarama.

I'm just one person! But what if we were 1,000?

What if we were one million? Or five million?

I want a highway here, in Suceava, in Bucovina!

Maybe you want one in the Apuseni mountains,

in Maramures, Craiova, or Timisoara?

As years go by, I'm afraid of getting old and not seeing a highway in Moldova.

So I built a meter of highway in Moldova.

This is what a construction site looks like!

I present to you the first meter of highway in Moldova.

Now, together with Putna and Voronet,

I invite you to visit the first and only meter of highway in Suceava!

15TH OF MARCH

AT 15:00

15 MINUTES

ROMANIA WANTS HIGHWAYS #SODOI

So it can be done!

For some, building a meter or a kilometer of highway--

besides the fact that the cost is enormous--

it's a sensational thing.

It involves an extraordinary effort.

No!

For the first time in their lives, many people saw

what it meant to build a meter of highway from A to B.

From the day the news broke that I'd built a meter of highway,

I understood once and for all that I was not alone.

I'd never imagined what a powerful force

could be unleashed by one small piece of asphalt.

People from the town asked me

if I knew of any highway project starting in Cumparatura village.

I went and investigated. The TV stations said we were against it.

Under no circumstances!

-Were you aware of what you were building? -No.

-We thought it was just pavement. -Then we added something new, but yeah…

We realized it was a highway when we had to place…

-The markings. -The markings on the highway.

I watched the video grow organically, and that he didn't ask for shares.

Then I saw it had tens of thousand of views

and thousands of shares.

I said to myself, the internet went crazy, I pressed "play".

"Man, he's crazy," I thought.

This guy started and he's not going to stop!

I saw it, just as I'm sure millions of Romanians did.

Some in Romania, others abroad.

I repeat, no one knew who Stefan Mandachi was

except for those of us who were close to him.

"Who's this guy?" I wrote on Facebook.

I asked my friends in the Suceava, Gura Humorului area.

"Do any of you know Stefan Mandachi" I asked.

"Who's Mandachi and what does he want? Who is he working for?

Does he want to be a member of parliament?"

I checked

and found out all there was to know about Stefan Mandachi.

Many people, many friends from many cities,

called to ask me about this protest.

"What's happening in Bucovina? Who is this Stefan?"

A Romanian entrepreneur has made himself known on social networks.

A meter of highway on his own land!

A protest action

because the Romanian government has built zero meters of highways.

It was extremely cool and surprising for someone from the area.

That area doesn't usually have a voice. People don't fight for their rights.

People here are obedient. They keep their heads down.

It's always been this way.

I liked the idea, it intrigued me.

I didn't understand what the goal was. I still don't.

I suppose it's a manifesto for history. For a sad period in our history.

I had…

doubts that you were hiding political projects behind this.

I'm asking you:

Does this man, or the movement behind him, have political potential?

Don't tell me you don't know!

The topic is chosen--

He wouldn't have had so much media attention

without somebody behind him.

I agree with that part.

He can be a vector for a political movement or whichever movement.

-As he seems to be very well put together. -True.

We shouldn't be protesting fifteen, twenty minutes

before we accomplish our objectives.

How do you leave Romania to the west, towards Hungary?

You can do it in Hungary.

We were all frightened at the beginning.

"What is Stefan doing?" He risked a lot, in his position as a businessman.

He risked making many political enemies,

many who could get in the way of his business.

He decided it's worth the risk, or that he can't live this way.

I'll say it again, this is a good moment.

Because the consequences are that we become aware, with this type of action.

It's an awakening.

The project was very small, a meter of highway.

Especially because it was so small, but done by one person,

it was like a distorting mirror,

showing the disaster of road infrastructure in Romania

at its true dimensions, and beyond.

Somehow, you moved people with the visual of that meter.

You moved them more than a meter. You moved a million kilometres.

This kind of spectacular initiative

would have been spectacular in any country in the world--

In Africa, a continent with many poor countries,

where there might be more highways than here--

the US, or wherever.

A meter of highway means nothing.

It's just a meter.

If I wanted to be cynical,

I can't even put my car's front wheels on it.

It's a protest!

I could go on one meter of highway because I'm only 68 centimeters wide.

It's a funny thing for Romania.

A crazy man came to teach a lesson

to a government made up of hundreds of people.

The feeling of unity is really high.

-I want a highway in Harlau! -So do I!

"The masseuses from an erotic club in Bucharest

join Stefan Mandachi's protest.

They invite their clients to an extra 15 minutes free,

beginning at 15:00, when they'll talk about highways,

or any other topic."

Closer!

I want a highway here, in Suceava, in Bucovina.

-So do I! -So do I!

-I want highways in Moldova. -So do I!

-Romania wants highways. -So do I!

-Moldova wants highways. -So do I!

-Bucovina wants highways. -So do I!

-Dorohoi wants highways. -So do I!

-Botosani wants highways. -So do I!

-So do I! -So do I!

I want a highway here, in Suceava, in Bucovina.

-So do I! -So do I!

-So do I! -So do I!

-Romania wants highways. -So do I!

My first thought, before knowing what to say,

the first thought in my head was, "So do I! For sure."

Europa FM. We're on the same frequency!

Since Ceausescu fell we haven't managed to unite nationally behind one idea,

as simple or benign as it might have been.

"Biziday", with Moise Guran, on Europa FM.

Obviously, Stefan Mandachi, from Suceava, has called for a general strike.

"What kind of strike lasts 15 minutes?" skeptics have wondered.

"Who is this guy? Where did he come from? Maybe he's PSD," others have said.

"Maybe he's manipulating us."

"It's pointless",

most pessimistic Romanians have thought.

No, nothing is truly pointless.

The most vocal of us,

those who dream of waking up one morning

rich, famous, with a Mercedes in front of their palace,

know that nothing in life happens overnight.

Everything is accumulated with patience, dedication,

and, especially, with strategy.

Even when 600,000 people took to the streets,

it didn't all happen at once.

This is how it went during the Revolution, as well.

On December 16th, in Timisoara,

there were about 150 people around László Tőkés.

On the 21st, at the Intercontinental barricade,

there were not more than 200 people.

On December 22, 1989, yes, there were thousands.

But, on the 23rd, after Ceausescu ran, there were millions on the streets.

Romania was, de facto, on a general strike.

That is your private land?

History grants hero status to those who succeed,

and labels those who fail as crazy.

Always, the many will follow the few.

-So do I! -So do I!

Most people will say "I'll go, too" or "I'll do it, too",

if we're all doing it, if others are doing it.

But you can't reach everyone just by snapping your fingers.

What we're going to experience on March 15th, 2019, at 15:00

is an attempt to generate national unity.

A symbolic strike, maybe.

For now, yes, only for 15 minutes.

But, once national unity is created

around an idea, nothing will be over after those 15 minutes.

It'll be just the beginning!

15TH MARCH - THE DAY OF THE PROTEST

#SODOI

Concerning the protest

taking place today, at 15:00,

a protest for highways,

I want protesters to know

that I stand by them!

So do I!

So do I!

How cool!

Have you seen Iohannis?

Yes, it's all over the media, in only 20 minutes.

Right, it's old news!

I'm not a Iohannis fan, but he did well.

I think Tariceanu, or me, or any sane person

would think it's a good message.

We need highways.

Big madness today with the first meter of highway in Moldova.

The whole country is paralyzed for 15 minutes,

as a sign of support for the entrepreneur from Suceava.

The online movement "#SoDoI" has encompassed the entire population,

from school children, university students, teachers,

to erotic masseuses, multinationals, and, obviously, politicians.

Some hot shots

are building the first meter of highway.

To be perfectly honest, at 12:30 we inaugurated--

that is, we just started working

on the first kilometer of highways in Moldova.

The real ones.

Today, at 12:30.

They are mocking,

we are building highways.

They are shouting, we are developing Romania.

That businessman spent 100,000 Euros for this circus.

If he had this money anyway, he should have given it to an orphanage.

Donate it somewhere.

Man, you're contesting a symbol. Are you crazy?

Someone who generated enthusiasm, who created a movement

and such a public reaction.

They created that diversion: "the works have started on the Moldovan highway".

A cheap diversion.

Today, at 15:00 for 15 minutes,

Romanians in the country and abroad are going to suspend their activities.

-The message is clear. -"We need highways."

I was pessimistic in the movie when I said,

"What if there were a million of us? What if there were five million?"

99% of the feedback I've received has been positive.

My ideal is to have a highway.

But it shouldn't be an ideal. It should be a normal, decent thing.

We haven't gathered here just to put on a show!

I would have preferred that this one meter of highway

to have been built by someone else, 20 years ago.

That there would be no need for this manifesto.

It was a necessary thing.

I was desperate, and I didn't know what else to do.

That I knew and that's why I did it!

-I feel that we're united! -So do I!

-So do I! -So do I!

Right at this moment the big protest for highways has begun.

If you want to buy products,

please do it before 15:00 or after 15:15.

It's 15:00, we're stopping work!

#SODOI

ROMANIA WANT HIGHWAYS

MOLDOVA WANTS HIGHWAYS

-So do I! -So do I!

-We want highways! -So do I!

We showed them we're a force!

We want highways!

People are shouting they want highways!

Thieves!

-So do I! -So do I!

#SODOI: NATIONAL PROTEST

We want highways!

STRIKE FOR 15 MINUTES

We want highways!

-Suceava wants highways! -So do I!

-All the taxi drivers want highways! -So do I!

-So do I! -So do I!

-Moldova wants highways! -So do I!

-Romania wants highways! -So do I!

-Moldova wants highways! -So do I!

-Romania wants highways! -So do I!

-Moldova wants highways! -So do I!

-So do I! -So do I!.

-So do I! -So do I!

We want it!

-Bucovina wants highways! -So do I!

-So do I! -So do I!

The protest in Suceava united the whole country.

Employees from hundreds of companies,

factories, construction sites stopped for 15 minutes.

Thousands of people took to the streets or stopped their cars

shouting they want highways, 30 years after the Revolution.

It happened at 15:00,

and police reduced traffic only after the protest was over.

A short-term strike, only 15 minutes long,

sent a message to politicians, regardless of their political leanings.

The country needs highways,

not promises, projects, or studies worth millions of euro.

In front of the Parliament, protesters blocked traffic,

while students built a human highway.

The protest "#SoDoI" spread throughout the country.

Tens of thousand of Romanians,

fed up with bad roads, united in an unprecedented initiative.

We stopped the bus

and, together with the team, we got off, we parked for 15 minutes.

I was also there. Nobody got mad.

Not the drivers, not the police, not the protesters.

Even if Anastasie Panu Blvd. was blocked for 15 minutes.

There were young people, old people intellectuals, workers,

all kind of people, all out there on the street together.

Drivers and people without a license.

I was on Focsani's betting ring, and stopped for 15 minutes.

In front of me, there was a small truck, the driver got out of his car

and he filmed me.

"I'm protesting," I said.

The driver to my right asked me, "What are you doing, Mr. Minister?"

"If we had a highway, I wouldn't be here.

We'd be traveling under normal conditions."

I did it gladly.

It was an act of solidarity.

Not only yours, mine, or someone else's,

but for all those in traffic

that feel the urgent need

for functional and safe infrastructure.

I had a meeting with my Ph.D. students, at 15:00,

and I said "we're all going to be silent 'till 15:15".

I protested, with hundreds of my fellow policemen, from all over the country.

We stopped our activities, just as planned.

What if someone came to ask for a coffin?

In 15 minutes, no one is going to die or be resurrected.

The girls told them, "we're sorry, but we've suspended activity!

Sorry for the inconvenience,

but we're supporting Stefan Mandachi's protest!"

The social impact was huge, my friend!

At the national level, five people knew you before,

and now you're a national symbol! That's hard to do!

This crazy man is really crazy. He's certainly not normal!

I don't think he was expecting the success he had with this campaign.

I guess no one was.

I'm 38 years old and I can't recall

a protest of this kind, initiated by one person,

that has had the impact this protest has had.

The story for Euronews was a big success, all around the globe.

I think that, deep inside, everybody supported the protest.

The symbol has worked up till now.

But on a political level, nothing has changed yet.

I even saw negative political reactions.

"Give us a break with these things…"

There was a lot of attention for this meter of highway,

but nothing happened afterwards.

That is our problem!

Nothing ever happens!

You came to an area where there was no legal conflict,

no fight with authorities,

you just came to say, "good people, that's enough!"

"I see you're not doing anything, and you're paid for nothing,

I see you're paid by me, from my salary and from my taxes,

and I see you're not doing your job."

This is what Stefan's message transmitted.

Besides the fact that we want highways.

"Yes, we want them, but we see you're not building them!"

Your gesture increased the attention for the topic

and put pressure on any government Romania could have.

It's an example that, when you say what you think

and you do it clearly and thoroughly,

you find others who think alike.

That's this country's drama.

There are many Romanians who think alike,

but we all think we are alone, and that we can't cause change.

ONE METER OF HIGHWAY

I'm afraid humankind will find another method of transportation,

maybe air travel,

and they won't need highways by the time Romania has highways.

ONE YEAR LATER

I wonder if this man also shouted that he wanted highways.

Almost a year has passed since the protest.

Nothing,

absolutely nothing, has changed.

It's clearer to me every day:

if there's only a handful of people struggling to change something,

and the others are standing on the sidelines judging,

not much can be changed.

And we will be left with just one meter of highway.

This is who we are!

We burn and go out quickly.

Many people tell me to mind my own business.

But one thing I know for sure:

I will continue to follow my path.

For many, one meter might seem too much,

but if we would all take one small step,

everything will change.