Manescu, the history teacher, tries to keep up with his debts. This is a big mistake. This FAQ is empty. But, Corneliu Porumboiu's feature lenght directorial debut shouldn't cause any controversy. During the production of his latest movie, a director feels the need to add a new scene, emphasising on the protagonist's aesthetic nudity. Get Movies. Select the department you want to search in. Costi is a family man whose cash-strapped neighbor makes him an intriguing proposition: help him find the fortune reportedly buried somewhere on the grounds of his family's country home in Romania and split the profits. The original title of this film can be translated as Was There or Wasn't There? 12:08 East of Bucharest In 12:08 East of Bucharest on 2011-05-23 02:40:21, Socket Error: 'getaddrinfo failed' In 12:08 East of Bucharest on 2011-06-20 04:49:04, Socket Error: 'getaddrinfo failed'--JeffGBot 04:49, 20 June 2011 (UTC) Dead link 2. Manescu, the history teacher, tries to keep up with his debts. Both films question a time in history. The film is the directorial debut of Corneliu Porumboiu, whom prior to this had only directed two short films. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Ich kann mich an diesem Film einfach nicht sattsehen!! Dynamic, sharp-witted, and cut with narrative precision, the Cannes Caméra d Or winning 12:08 East of Bucharest is a classic Eastern European allegory of how nations remember (and rewrite) their darkest moments, and how (and why) people need their own stories. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Sixteen years have passed since the revolution, and in a small town Christmas is about to come. This movie is amazing. They rarely talk about it afterwards and their accounts are distorted by uncertain memory and by the desire to put the best gloss on their role. Are there such things as heroes? 'Cut!' The cultural aspects are quite representative, and Romanians have lots to derive out of it, especially in terms of self-improvement (the character of Chan, the Chinese immigrant, is very usefull for this purpose). Nicely low key humour amidst the drabness of post communist life. Gentle New Wave comedy. Add the first question. Good, thought provoking, yet humorous tale of remembrences of revolution in soviet bloc country, Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2013. I mean, after all, the movie is asking questions and challenging the country's history. screams Jderescu - 'Use the tripod!' And you watch this film and you keep waiting for an answer, and waiting...and then you realise what matters is that the real/fake revolution got the ball rolling. There's a quality about this film that stays with you long after it's seen; the kind of film you find yourself saying, "Do you remember that bit when....?" Since then I have went on and on about how funny the film was. Even today Romanians puzzle over this question. I hope we see more films like this. I was even trying to hold it in so I wouldn't disturb the people sitting next to me.The film mostly follows three men, Virgil Jderescu (Teodor Corban) the host of a TV show that is going to discuss the 16th anniversary of that fateful day and his two guest, both of whom claim to have been there, Mr. Manescu (Ion Sapdaru) and Mr. Piscoci (Mircea Andeescu).The first half of the movie introduces these characters to us as each gets ready for the show. The humor also helps the film by keeping the audience engaged. I did not need to know that much. 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. For him, the time to face history has come. The film is set in a small town on the outskirts of Bucharest as the title implies, and centers on a group of characters who revisit the Romanian Revolution of 1989which brough… This is not a light movie, it is a movie that makes you think, and it is especially meaningfull for Romanians. It is 16 years after the Rounanian revolution. 2006. Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2016, Duti la dracula: or the life of a revolutionary, Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2007. 12:08 East of Bucharest. 89 min. last year at the International Chicago Film Festival, where I absolutely fell in love with it. Humorous but also educational in the respects of providing examples of how people define, selectively remember and typify events over time. Several urban legends of Communist Romania are dramatized. Jderescu, the owner of a local television post, seems not to be so interested in the upcoming holidays. 99 of 105 people found this review helpful. Out of enthusiasm, a Militia soldier abandons his platoon and decides to fight for the cause of the Revolution. The real meat of "12:08 East of Bucharest," however, is found in Jderescu's station, a facility of Wayne's Worldian professionalism. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. A local talk show host organizes an alcoholic professor and a pensioner known for playing Santa Claus to decide whether there was ever a … From Wings to Parasite, here's a look back at all of the Best Picture Oscar winners in the history of the ceremony. 16 years after the Revolution, a local television station in Bucharest invites several guests to share their moments of glory, as they stormed city hall chanting “down with Ceaucescu!” An alcoholic history teacher and a lonely retiree are forced to answer questions from dubious viewers. Judging by The Death Of Mr. Lazarescu and Corneliu Porumboiu's debut feature 12:08 East Of Bucharest (not to mention the reports from Cannes about this year's Palme D'or-winning 4 Months 3 Weeks & 2 Days), Romanian cinema is on a roll, led by warmly naturalistic films that emphasize character and performance over formal mastery. But the one thing it is not is a controversial film.What makes a film just as this so good is the way it weaves a serious subject with humor. And I also hope director Corneliu Porumboiu keeps making films and hopefully they will be shown in America.p.s. He will learn soon that this trip will change his views about life, forever. "12:08 East of Bucharest" is dealing with a major part of Romanian history and the outcome is a brilliant film that all audience members should be able to relate to. At the heart of "12:08 East of Bucharest" is a story about our collective memories and the blurry line between fact and fiction. I could not help inquire why and I think that the rotten over sweet taste came from the last caller's intervention. (aka 12:08 East of Bucharest) received its North American premier at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. Endless negotiations begin between lunch and dinner; however, will they ever reach a conclusion? 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?" A deadpan comedy that evolves into a wry, politicized examination of truth, 12:08 East of Bucharest reconfirms—on the heels of last year’s The Death of Mr. Lazarescu —Romania’s emergence as a budding cinematic mecca. The plot (such that it is) revolves around a TV interview with two guests who purport to have been present at the start of the revolution but their testimonies start to unravel (or do they?) There was a film that dealt with a "Romanian" problem and people all over the world not only enjoyed it, but, were able to relate to it. ; lit. In fact the audience I saw this film with (and it was a packed house) were also in fits of laughter. The film was the first made by Corneliu Porumboiu, and won the apt award of Camera D?Or (Best First Film) at 2006 Cannes Film Festival. People can now freely ask: was there or wasn't there a revolution? You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies. Corneliu Porumboiu; 2006; Romania; 35mm; 89 minutes; Winner of the 2006 Camera d’Or prize at Cannes, this sociopolitical satire focuses on a group of characters who, on December 22, 2005, commemorate the 16th anniversary of Ceausescu’s fall. A newbie agrees to deliver the wrong merchandise for money. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? (2006). Just make films about your country and deal with subjects that are meaningful to you (by "you" I mean Romanian directors). The result is a shambles and we are none the wiser. Also into question is the idea of what makes a hero? I also wanted to quickly point out a similarity I found between this film and Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Spider's Stratagem". While no universal themes were broached,the film functions well as a chamber ensemble piece with occasional moments of hilarity. ", Missing Films Acquires ‘Poppy Field’ in Germany Ahead of Black Nights Premiere (Exclusive), Eastern European Distributors at the San Sebastian Film Festival, Errors in Geography: It's December (Again Engaged). 12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST Wednesday, November 20 12:30, 6:00 (2006, Corneliu Porumboiu) For the 16th anniversary of Ceausescu’s fall, a provincial TV station produces a retrospective but can find only two eye-witnesses: a hard-drinking history teacher and a part-time Santa Claus. Participants caught up in great historical events are seldom unequivocally proud of their behaviour. Sixteen years have passed since the revolution, and in a small town Christmas is about to come. A folk band plays in cramped quarters before a backdrop of the town hall, photographed by an engaged cameraman with hand held video. Learn more "12:08 East of Bucharest" is dealing with a major part of Romanian history and the outcome is a brilliant film that all audience members should be able to relate to. When the amicable Luci (Alexandru Papadopol) and his beautiful lover Sorina ... See full summary ». Video availability outside of United States varies. First of all it is one of the best Romanian movies I have ever seen. It’s the 22nd of December. The Wooden Tongue Speaks- Romanians: Contradictions & Realities. 12:08 East of Bucharest. Get unlimited DVD Movies & TV Shows delivered to your door with no … Don't care what Western audiences will think. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 20, 2008. Some of the magic was gone after a second viewing but that probably has more to do with me then the film. The humor also helps the film by keeping the audience engaged.I hope we see more films like this. Rack up 500 points and you'll score a $5 reward for more movies. A clever comedy that helped launch the Romanian New Wave, surely one of the most interesting contemporary film movements, 12:08 East of Bucharest satirizes the confusion resulting from the events in 1989 that led to the overthrow of Nicolae Ceaușescu's government but also relates to the fundamentally human ideas of pride, uncertainty, and helplessness. Two weeks before his release, a teenage prisoner learns that his mother has returned home. Porumboiu's debut feature, 12:08 East of Bucharest — playing twice today at Film Forum — is set on the 16th anniversary of Ceaușescu's flight, and finds a local television show host probing whether or not his town can be fairly said to have participated in the revolution. The buoyant little comedy “12:08 East of Bucharest” puts its finger on the problem in the best tradition of East European humor, savvy but concrete, gentle but sharp as a knife. Search for "12:08 East of Bucharest" on Amazon.com, Title: Piscoci, an old retired man is preparing for another Christmas alone. 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". Try getting a reliable account of German occupation from citizens of France or the Channel Islands. Wonderful film but disc I ordered was damaged. These are important things to think about. 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