Everything in the film is very Romanian and you need to be familiar with the…. The film begins with wonderful static shots of the town, the dingy street lights, and soviet-era housing, that captures the ennui of the Romanian town, without positing that they are hopeless; it isn't too bleak. Watching these has been the silver lining of quarantine, Just when you thought Joe Exotic's park couldn't get more intense. Cineuropa is the first European portal dedicated to cinema and audiovisual in 4 languages. I found myself nodding at the humor far more frequently than smiling. Add the first question. Copy and paste the code in your html to embed this video, making sure to credit Cineuropa: December 22. Mobile site. 12:08 East of Bucharest. (2006). Film data from TMDb. 12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST deserves all the accolades awarded it at Cannes, and Corneliu Porumboiu's amusing, entertaining and important film is a great window into the questions of the "Romanian Revolution". Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? The film is a taut, pessimistic (yet somehow hopeful), darkly, deadpan comedy about post-Soviet era Romanians attempting--with Rashomon style storytelling--to come to terms with the end of the Soviet era in Romania, specifically the revolution of December 22nd, 1989. After the terrible news of a fatal car accident involving her son, a desperate mother will do anything in her power to set her child free. Komik olduğunu söylemişlerdi ama acayip sıkıldım. 12:08 East of Bucharest. When I look at the lives of Romanians in contrast to the vast riches of America, and I see men and women going about their lives in Bucharest and other Romanian towns, the question of the revolution almost takes a back seat to the citizens attempting to scratch out a living and survive. There’s a desperation of sorts to the question, asked time and time again in the film as a small-town TV host attempts to gleam from his guests whether the historic Romanian revolution of 1989 manifested itself in their home. Several urban legends of Communist Romania are dramatized. Pisconi, an old retiree, is preparing to spend another lonely Christmas. Piscoci, an old retired man is preparing for another Christmas alone. And it’s a good thing that it does, because for nearly half the film, that quaint little TV station is all you’re watching. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. 2006 ‘A fost sau n-a fost? I saw evidence of this in old man Piscoci's account of December 22, 1989.…. Synopsis. 2006 The music was so funky, I loved the scene with the band. Congealing the stylistic and thematic tendencies experimented with in his earlier shorts, Porumboiu here rode the crest of the Romanian New Wave—to deploy the obligatory aquatic pun—and arrived on the scene of European cinema as one of its most…. Made by fans in Auckland, New Zealand. An alcoholic history teacher and a lonely retiree, who moonlights as Santa, are forced to answer questions from dubious viewers who aren't overly convinced that the Revolution ever took place in their city. With Mircea Andreescu, Teodor Corban, Ion Sapdaru, Mirela Cioaba. Still, sometimes even when I don't personally enjoy a film I can still find merit in it's level of craft and ingenuity - not so here. Such a sweet comfy ending. It's a satire in the truest sense of that word. Contact us | Logos and banners | Change privacy settings, Mission | Structure | Partners | Team | Participate | Donations | Terms and conditions, 12:08 East of Bucharest [RO] (2006): film profile, Yohan Manca is now at the editing stage on, EXCLUSIVE: Clip from Ji.hlava opening film, We talked to Maciej Bochniak about his Polish-set western, We talked to Bernd Buder, the programme director of FilmFestival Cottbus, about this year's hybrid, or rather “dual”, edition. Overall the humor translates and holds up pretty well. But I really enjoyed this post-Ceausescu 'what did you do in the revolution, daddy?' A drunkard teacher and a pensioner are the guests of a talk show whose host tries to determine whether anything revolutionary was happening in the town 16 years ago (it is the anniversary of the revolution). Check out our recommendations to stream this month. Sixteen years have passed since the revolution, and in a small town Christmas is about to come. Streaming High Definition trailers from 1931 to 2018. © Letterboxd Limited. Great example of the knack of former Eastern Bloc filmmakers for making the bleak beautiful. Title: Directed by Corneliu Porumboiu and starring Mircea Andreescu, Teo Corban, Ion Sapdaru and . Mr. Lãzãrescu, a dying old man, is shuttled from hospital to hospital by a loyal paramedic as doctors refuse to operate and no one can agree on a diagnosis. There is very little that's powerfully cinematic (or even cinematic at all) about 12:08 East of Bucharest. Mallorca Film Festival is back and raring to go. A collection of my favorite foreign films, including lots of underrated/unknown titles worth checking out. Directed by Corneliu Porumboiu, It's the 22nd of December. Jderescu, the owner of a local television post, seems not to be so interested in the upcoming holidays. It’s been sixteen years since the Revolution and Christmas is aproaching.Piscoci, an old retiree, is preparing to spend another lonely Christmas. Despite its extreme staticness, the camera always seems to be just where it should be. Along with Manescu and Piscoci, he is trying to answer for himself a question which for 16 years has not had an answer: "Was it or wasn't it a revolution in their town? Manescu, a history teacher, doesn’t want to lose his entire … A local talk show host organizes an alcoholic professor and a pensioner known for playing Santa Claus to decide whether there was ever a revolution in their town Vaslui. Добро пожаловать в кинематографический мир Корнелиу Порумбою! He will learn soon that this trip will change his views about life, forever. In this case, 12:08 East of Bucharest is the movie equivalent of when a corporation tweets out an innocuous question and all the responses drag them for even asking. The full and nuanced cast of characters feels almost larger than life, as each of them plays their role in ensuring the true answer to whether the revolution occurred in the small town in question is constantly and…, Was There or Wasn’t There? In communist era Romania, people live with hope for a new life of freedom. Download the TV Guide app for iPhone, iPad and Android! This is my first exposure to Romanian New Wave, but what an introduction. Best New Shows and Movies on Netflix This Week: All the Best TV and Movie Marathons to Watch on Halloween. The film presents us with a mystery that is certainly impossible to truly crack, as it develops into a matter of which side one wants to agree with. A newbie agrees to deliver the wrong merchandise for money. Best New Shows and Movies on Netflix This Week: All the Best TV and Movie Marathons to Watch on Halloween. Romanian national history is revisited and questioned, using a lot of satire and black humour in this flick by Corneliu Porumboiu, who also directed "Politist, adjectif" that I recently reviewed here. tarrdigrade 1,807 films 23,768 187 Edit, If you're feeling overwhelmed, but still want to squeeze a film into your daily routine, this list is made for…, Jayce Fryman 18,693 films 2,882 99 Edit, This list collects every film from the Starting List that became They Shoot Pictures Don't They's 1000 Greatest Films. It's the 22nd of December. Jderescu, the owner of a local television post, seems not to be so interested in the upcoming holidays. View production, box office, & company info, It's the 22nd of December. This…, The latest 2020 edition of TSPDT The 21st Century's Most Acclaimed Films (www.theyshootpictures.com/21stcentury.htm), Missing in Letterboxd: 629th: The Wire (2002-2008). Welcome to a platform where professionals can meet and exchange information and ideas. A movie in which almost nothing happens and a full 2/3's of it is a interview on a janky television show. The Child, aka Baby Yoda, is almost back! Photo Credits: Netflix; Pop TV; Robert Viglasky, Hartswood Films; Fred Hayes/Disney+, Fox, PopTV; Bettina Strauss/Netflix; Nicole Rivelli/Amazon, Netflix, Frank Masi/Apple, Disney, Jasper Savage/Hulu; Diyah Pera/CW, What to Watch on Netflix Top 10 Rankings on October 23, Netflix Originals 2020: All the New Movies, TV Shows, Documentaries, and Specials to Stream. Its first section is a quiet but engaging slice-of-life comedy as we follow around the three men who are…, While not The Death of Mr. Lazarescu or 4 months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Corneliu Porumboiu's 12:08 East of Bucharest is still a pillar of New Romanian Cinema.