12:08 East of Bucharest

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12:08 East of Bucharest
A fost sau n-a fost?
Directed by Corneliu Porumboiu
Produced by Corneliu Porumboiu
Daniel Burlac
Written by Corneliu Porumboiu
Starring Mircea Andreescu
Teodor Corban
Ion Săpdaru
Music by Rotaria
Cinematography George Dăscălescu
Editing by Roxana Szel
Distributed by Tartan USA
Release date(s) Flag of the United States June 6, 2007
Running time 89 min.
Country Romania
Language Romanian

12:08 East of Bucharest (Romanian: A fost sau n-a fost?) is a Romanian film, released in 2006 and winner of the Camera d'Or Prize (for best first film) at the Cannes Film Festival. It was also released in the United States under the abridged titles East of Bucharest and 12:08 Bucharest. The film is set in the city of Vaslui, and centers on a group of character who revisit the Romanian Revolution of 1989 which brought an end to the communist regime.

The full English title refers to the setting of the film and the time of day at which Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu fled following the revolution, 12:08 pm on December 22, 1989. The original Romanian title roughly translates to "Was There or Wasn't There?", referring to the film's central issue: did Vaslui have any part in the 1989 revolution? The answer depends on whether the city registered any protest before the moment of Ceauşescu's flight.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Sixteen years after the Revolution and just days before Christmas, a local television station in Vaslui, a small northeastern Romanian town, has invited several guests to share their moments of glory, as they allegedly stormed city hall, chanting “down with Ceasescu!,” before Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife fled the presidential palace by helicopter so many years ago.

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.

[edit] Reviews

The American review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 95% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 44 reviews.[1] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 77 out of 100, based on 15 reviews.[2]

The film has garnered positive press in the United States; J. Hoberman of The Village Voice called it, "a casually bleak and neatly structured ensemble comedy—at once deadpan and bemused."[3] Noel Murray of The A.V. Club said "the story and the situation are slight, but in the best possible way."[4] Richard Brody of The New Yorker called it a "wise and gentle comedy of political realism."[citation needed] Wendy Ide of The Times described the film as "one of the best of the new wave of Romanian cinema" and "a droll delight that questions the nature of historical record and the realities of postcommunist Romania with a slyly comic and disarmingly self-mocking tone."[5] Also, it got a perfect 4 stars out of 4 from the New York Post.[citation needed]

V.A. Musetto of the New York Post named 12:08 East of Bucharest the best film of 2007.[6] A.O. Scott of The New York Times named it the 6th best film of 2007 (along with Live-In Maid).[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "12:08 East of Bucharest - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
  2. ^ "12:08 East of Bucharest (2007): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.
  3. ^ J. Hoberman "The Revolution Must Be Televised", The Village Voice, March 29, 2007
  4. ^ Noel Murray, "12:08 East Of Bucharest", The A.V. Club, June 7, 2007
  5. ^ Wendy Ide, "Film Review: 12:08 East Of Bucharest", The Times, August 16, 2007
  6. ^ a b "Metacritic: 2007 Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Retrieved on 2008-01-05.

[edit] External links

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Cinema of Romania
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