Puiu's a skillful widescreen filmmaker, but he's also an urban snob who finds farm animals backward and funny.

A great collection of simply told stories which paint a vivid picture of Romanian life during communism. Heartwarming and funny.

"Has the so-called Romanian New Wave slowed to a trickle?" - Andrew Schenker

22 Ekim 09. 16:00. emek sinemasi, filmekimi09 &

A great pentalogical portmanteau film showcasing the talents of five Romanian New Wave directors, especially Cristian Mungiu who penned all five segments. The makers and the cast recreate the Ceausescu era with an absorbing naturalism, which also brings out the ironic humor of these tales. The unnerving Air Sellers and the amusing Official Visit and Party Photographer stand out as the better stories, while the Chicken Driver and the Greedy Policeman are less successful.

A wonderful rendering of (mostly) interesting tales. They all seem to be loaded with metaphors for various aspects of the contemporary failing communist regime. The first (... Official Visit) is easily the best: tightly directed and edited, with a lot of humor and fun character. ... Party Photographer and ... Greedy Policeman are almost as great in their own styles. The remaining two meander and are paced much slower, with less to keep your attention, but certainly aren't bad.