12:08 East of Bucharest

last updated 8 January 2015

Who'da thunk that Dracula's mother country 'œwould become a cinematic powerhouse?' said V.A. Musetto in the New York Post. 12:08 East of Bucharest, which was named the best debut film at Cannes last year, is just the latest in a line of wonderful Romanian films. The story takes place on the 16th anniversary of the Christmastime revolution, which ended with the execution of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife. A local TV personality (Teo Corbin) puts forth the question: 'œWas there or was there not a revolution in our town?' but the only people he drums up for his show are an alcoholic teacher and a pensioner/town Santa. 'œThe film turns into a quiet, hilarious parody of small-scale video production,' said A.O. Scott in The New York Times. Porumboiu's feature is full of life lessons, among them that 'œhistory is made'”or at least endured'”by the humble and the foolish as well as the brave.' Interestingly, you see here the same 'œinstitutional mediocrity that often served as the butt of jokes in Eastern Bloc cinema,' said Steve Dollar in The New York Sun. But Porumboiu also gives us great humor and 'œhas a keen sense for small moments that crackle in the margins of an ordinary day,' including upstart boys running through those grim communist-era apartment blocks.

Rating: Not rated