Reviews Camera obscura (2016): Anachronistic Avantgarde 10 Jan 201711 Jan 2017 The last year or so has seen several Romanian documentaries about cinematic heritage and the associated resistance against the communist dictatorship, with Chuck Norris vs. Communism (2015) [review] and Cinema,…
Reviews Afacerea Est: That’s How It’s Done (2016) 17 Nov 201610 Jan 2017 I still recall Igor Cobileanski's first two shorts ("Cand se stinge lumina" and "Sasa, Grisa si Ion", video links included) with great fondness. It was the earlier days of the…
Reviews Pozitia Copilului (2013): People at its Heart 13 Oct 201610 Jan 2017 Upon its release, I happened to catch a screening of the film (English title: Child's Pose) attended by the director and some of the actors, followed by a short Q&A. This…
Reviews Sieranevada (2016): A Winter Wonderland 16 Sep 201610 Jan 2017 Although Romanian cinema has been 'mainstreaming' of late, this year has brought some old-school/new-school movies received to widespread critical acclaim, like Cristian Mungiu's Bacalaureat (Graduation) or Bogdan Mirica's Caini (Dogs).…
Reviews Moartea domnului Lazarescu (2005): A Hellish Ride 25 Aug 201620 Jun 2020 God, I know it's a terrible thing to say, but I really loved Moartea domnului Lazarescu (The Death of Mister Lazarescu). It was such an accomplished transition for Cristi Puiu,…
Reviews Cinema, mon amour (2015): Or Existential Limbo 18 Aug 201610 Jan 2017 As a topic for contemplation, the decay and dissolution of the Romanian landscape of movie theaters runs deep. Once a sort of burgeoning socialist arrangement for communist propaganda, less than…
Reviews Ilegitim (2016): A Difficult Tread 9 Aug 201610 Jan 2017 It feels like skewering Illegitimate would be too easy at times. The gist of the movie, which is pretty clear if you've either read a synopsis or seen the poster,…
Reviews Autobiografia lui Nicolae Ceausescu (2010): The Spectacular Reality of Nicolae Ceausescu 7 Jun 201610 Jan 2017 Having been born at the end of the 80s, my recollection of communist Romania is negligible. So for me, this wealth of archival footage represents less an excursion into dreary…
Reviews Bacalaureat (2016): Defying Compromise 21 May 201610 Jan 2017 Films rarely put forward leading characters that they then choose to vehemently punish throughout. But this is Mungiu, who has already proved more than adept at creating authentic and ruthless…
Reviews Chuck Norris vs. Communism (2015): A Nostalgia Soufflé 29 Apr 201610 Jan 2017 In spite of being born towards the end of the 80s, I recall several "Margareta Nistor movies", her trademark dubbing scarring my youth alongside the zombies of Return of the…
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