The Afternoon of a Torturer

{{short description|2001 film by Lucian Pintilie}}

{{Infobox film

| name = The Afternoon of a Torturer

| image =

| director = Lucian Pintilie

| producer =

| writer =

| starring = Gheorghe Dinică
Radu Beligan

| cinematography =

| music =

| country = Romania

| language = Romanian

| runtime = 1h 20min

| released = {{Film date|2001|9|7|VFF|df=yes}}

}}

The Afternoon of a Torturer ({{langx|ro|După-amiaza unui torționar}}) is a 2001 Romanian biography film directed by Lucian Pintilie. It recounts an interview with Franț Țandără, a parricide and a torturer in the Communist jails, who openly confesses to the terrible crimes he committed in his youth.{{cite web|url=http://www.romanianculturalcentre.org.uk/pintilie-retrospective/afternoon.html|title=Afternoon of a Torturer|year=2005|publisher=Romanian Cultural Centre|access-date=April 13, 2020}} Out of the estimated 1,700 Romanians whose mission under the regime was torturing political prisoners, Țandără was the only one who felt a need to confess.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2001/film/reviews/the-afternoon-of-a-torturer-1200469699/|first=Deborah|last=Young|title=The Afternoon of a Torturer|newspaper=Variety|date=September 28, 2001|access-date=April 13, 2020}}

The film has been described as "a story on the banality of evil and the inhumane atrocity of man". It is based on the 1999 book The Road to Damascus: Confession of a former torturer by Doina Jela,{{cite book | last=Jela | first=Doina | title=Drumul Damascului: spovedania unui fost torționar | publisher=Humanitas | publication-place=Bucharest | year=1999 | isbn=973-28-0993-0 | oclc=879018233 | language=ro}} the inspiration for the journalist in the movie.