12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST
*** out of *****
Reviewed by Juan Incognito

Screening in the 2006 New Zealand International Film Festival
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Genres
Comedy
Commies
Drama

2006
Written and directed by
Corneliu Porumboiu
Cast
Mircea Andreescu …. Piscoci
Teo Corban …. Jderescu
Ion Sapdaru …. Manescu

Background

Romania seems to be one of those countries that hasn’t really got its act together after communism fell in the early 1990s.  Democracy has come, new opportunites have opened, but things generally look decrepit and a lot of people might actually be worse off than before.  But that is not what this movie is about, this is no soul-searching angst-ridden tirade against the failure of the Revolution to make everyone millionaires and happy.  Instead it is more personable, more selfish, seeking only to examine the contribution of a provincial town and its people to the Revolution.  Why?  Well the 16th anniversary of the Revolution came and the local television station needed a story to fill its talk-show.  How very Western after all.

Were we leaders or followers?

The defining moment of the Revolution happened around mid-day in Bucharest and the question that the television station poses is when did their town start supporting the Revolution; before or after televised shots of the dictator fleeing were broadcast?  If the former, then their revolutionary credentials are solid, and people can rest easy knowing they played their part.  If the latter, then, well, maybe the townspeople were just followers, not leaders.  But does it really matter either way?  It doesn’t seem to, except to serve as a bulwark to the identities and opinions of some of the townspeople who have claimed to be heroes. 

The Host, the Drunk and Santa Claus

There are three main characters in the film, the television host, the teacher and the old man.  In developing their characterisation the film is relatively traditional, spending time with each before moving onto the body of the movie, the talk show.  While brief this characterisation is sufficient to make sense of what happens later, during the show.

Virgil, the television host is a blustering, stressed figure, slightly despicable in his treatment of wife, mistress and staff, not a figure one can have much sympathy with. The Professor / Teacher is even less likable, a hopeless drunk owing money to all, but seemingly unable or unwilling to stop, he is a figure of contempt to the community.  Old man Manescu lives alone, helping out his neighbours when needed, yelling at the local kids the rest of the time, performing as Santa Claus when needed. It is hard to know what he really thinks.

Focus

In setting the majority of the film in the television studio, during the talk show on the town’s contribution to the Revolution the audience merges with the show’s audience.  This merging of the two audiences is rather neat, and it helps reinforce the focus on the dialogue rather than action. However there is a downside to this focus on one location, the real audience may well find it hard to retain their attention, especially when sub-titles are involved. Talk shows do not transfer well to subtitles.

The dialogue between the host and his panel, made up of the Teacher and the old man is progressively extended to the town, as viewers call in to challenge the recollection of the teacher.  What follows is a confused yet strangely enthralling deconstruction of the teacher’s repeated assertion of Revolutionary credentials. This is matched by a wider loss of control by the involved parties, as a sullen mood descends on the panel.  Clearly most people chose to not think about the Revolution, and this discussion has raised much dirty laundry and tension that had remained hidden.  People apparently do not like to revisit traumatic episodes.

Decrepit, dull Romania

The image generated of provincial Romania is depressing. Buildings look decrepit, and people seem slightly resentful of other’s success. The atmosphere screams 1970s but with the occasional flash of modernity that reminds the viewer that it is the 21st century.  The grim image is reinforced by some of the cultural attitudes the townspeople hold, like a casual racism when talking to the Chinese shop owner. When he calls into the talk-show to defend his friend the teacher Virgil, the host, tells him that he has no right to speak because he is a foreigner, that he should go back to China rather than sell fireworks to the local children.  He is a part of the community, but not accepted, nor even well liked.  His supposed best friend, the teacher, abuses him regularly when drunk. This is reinforced by Virgil’s angry lecture to a performing band to play Romanian music not Latin samba. The fact that this type of activity was included in the film either indicates Romania is still a vaguely unsavoury place or that provincial towns are incredibly boorish.   I’m not sure which, or even if this was part of the writer’s intention.

So…

This film works, the story is relatively easy to follow, the film is concise, the characters believable.  Where it falls down is that it is overly dialogue intensive, which does not work well with subtitles, especially when the majority of the film is confined to a TV studio. Therefore I will give this ***/*****

This film will screen in Wellington on August 4th at 6:15 at Soundings Theatre, Te Papa and August 5th at 4:15pm at the Paramount Theatre. Refer to the Film Fest homepage for more information.

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