Our next trip through the back roads of the film industry will take us to Romania, with movies that are largely overlooked by mainstream viewers but which should not be missed. Our list comprises a few comedies, one drama, and a documentary movie.
Acasă la tat (Back Home)
Robert is a poet and journalist who has established a reputation in Bucurest, to which he escaped 10 years ago from a small “sleepy hollow“ of a town. Now he returns home, his mother meanwhile has passed away, his father has found himself a new partner, and Robert reverts to teenaged mode, meeting two old friends and expecting relief from city life. Instead he wriggle into a middle aged crisis and uncovers envy among his past companions.
Comoara (The Treasure)
A sarcastic comedy about two neighbours who search the garden of one of them in hopes of discovering a fortune, which apparently has been buried there. Foolish humour, impeccable timing, and the non-stop beeping noise of the metal detector.
Chuck Norris vs Communism
The fact that communism in Romania wasn´t easy goes without saying. It was a time when illegal activities in a buttoned up country created real bonds between like-minded people. This documentary tells the story of how western movies were smuggled into Romania, dubbed all in one voice, and shared as if they were pieces of treasure.
Miracolul din Tekir (The Miracle of Tekir)
A poetic drama about a woman´s destiny through the story of the miracle of immaculate conception in the present day. Mara is a healer who uses local mud collected from the delta of the river Danube. It is believed that the mud has healing effects on female fertility. When Mara gets pregnant and claims it was due to the effects of the mud, the prejudices of an isolated community force her to leave her home and find herself a job in a faraway place, looking after a woman who is trying to have a baby.
Sunt o babã comunistã (I’m an Old Communist Hag)
Another movie with a humorous take on the topic of communism. Emilia is retired, living with her husband on a small pension. Most of their lives happened during the era of communism. The present seems to Emilia to be painful and full of change, which causes her to dream of the more idealistic past. On the occasion of meeting her American son-in-law, she and her husband try their best to offer him and their daughter a suitable welcom, even though their financial situation is far from the best. When it comes to the past, she is clearly unable to shrug off a good part of her life as though it had never happened.
Title Photo: CSFD
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