Philanthropy

Ovidiu, a 35 years old literature teacher in a Bucharest school, dreams of becoming a famous writer. He falls madly in love with Diana, a model, who extols the virtues of a brand of toothpaste in an advertisement. To please her and to satisfy all her whims, he pretends to be a young millionaire, and spends the equivalent of several months of his meager teacher’s wages in one weekend. He can only afford such extravagance because of Mister Pepe, a rather strange ”godfather.” Pepe, 60, a screenwriter/songsmith for beggars, has set up a foundation called Philanthropy that he uses as a cover for his scams. Intrigued by the vast possibilities of charity as a con game, he invents a high class, extremely lucrative sting involving Ovidiu. Yesterday a teacher, Ovidiu finds himself in the role of Pepe’s wife, Miruna.