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BECKETTIAN

Today's film was the first of two from Romanian Director Corneliu Porumboiu

A fost sau n-a fost? / 12:08 East of Bucharest (2007)

I saw this when it came out because it was a NYTimes Critics' pick. It made it into DVD so fast there it was!

There isn't much of a market in the US theaters for Roumanian satire.

It is a wry, dry look at post-communist Romania from the vantage point of a small town and even smaller town citizens.

An interview show on the subject of whether the revolution, the overthrow of Nicolai Ceausescu and his reign of terror, ever happened in their small town.

We see each panelist before the show going about their humble daily business. Then, as deer in the headlights, their participation in the panel.

It doesn't sound like a lot but it is very powerful. Satire beyond satire.

We find that behind the most glorious revolution there are people who are just simply living their lives and when the heavy lifting is over, in this case a very short time, they just resume their humdrum lives going on as they did before.

There are many many funny moments. A lot of surprises. Who knew that in Romania they throw firecrackers at each other to celebrate Christmas?

In the middle of all this there is a Chinese man who, of course, has nothing to do with any of it. The revolution, christmas, romania or television. But he is the main source for all the firecrackers.

See?

It was and is a 5 out of Netflix5.

An IMDb review:

If you know anything about Romania, you will enjoy this film

The viewer needs to understand that this is a Romanian film for Romanians. You'll catch all the inside jokes of the film if you've been there. The point of the film is that indeed the revolution was different for everyone . Even in late 1990 when I was there, the people were still scared of the Securitate, or secret police. Even during the one year anniversary of the revolution, it took courage to go and march, much less right after Ceausescu fled. The emphasis on 12;08, the reaction of the students when the teacher asked why they were so interested in the French Revolution, the interviewers emphasis on the time of the protests, and the accusatory views of the callers on the TV program, let alone the long shots of the bare dilapidated concrete buildings, all lend to the whole idea of the plot. Not only does one ask did the revolution occur in this one town, but did it occur at all? After all, Ceausescu's right hand people took over after he was gone. The people themselves ask if anything has changed.

The film can seem long and tedious to some viewers, but if you've lived in Romania, you get it.

I am not Romanian nor have I been there but I have been fascinated by the Ceausescu period for a long time and know that nothing changed when the revolution came and the big dog was thrown out.

This is a spit in the face of the current regime. Brave and, as it turns out, effective.

Tomorrow, Porumboiu's second film.

Labels: best films