France, May 18 -- As Romanians head to the polls in a pivotal presidential election, the country's struggle to come to terms with its communist past is taking on new urgency. The legacy of Ceausescu's regime, and the nostalgia or disillusionment it inspires, now shapes debates about national identity and the direction Romania will take in a moment of deep political division and rising populism.

Gabriel Boga was only ten years old when it happened: the fall of the Ceausescu regime in December 1989. "The atmosphere changed overnight. There was freedom."

For decades, Nicolae Ceausescu, and his wife Elena had ruled Romania with an iron hand. "They called him the last Stalinist in Europe," says Catalina Andrei, Boga's partner. Because of "th...