12:08 East of Bucharest (2006)

Probable Score

Not Enough Info

Your Score

(0 - 100)

Sixteen years after the Revolution and just days before Christmas, a local television station in Bucharest 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. (Tartan USA)

More Information and Actions

Cast and Information

Directed By: Corneliu Porumboiu

Written By: Corneliu Porumboiu

Starring: Luminita Gheorghiu, Teodor Corban, Ion Sapdaru, Constantin Dita, Mircea Andreescu, Lucian Iftime, Mirela Cioaba, Cristina Ciofu

Genres: Comedy, Drama

AKA: A fost sau n-a fost?

Country: Romania

Where to Stream

Ratings

Collections

Stats

Loading...
loading

12:08 East of Bucharest belongs to 15 collections

1. Women+ (collaborative: moderated by paulofilmo - 18 stars)

2. Christmas (collaborative: moderated by td888 - 16 stars)

3. Directorial debut (collaborative: moderated by djross - 16 stars)

4. TSPDT 21st Century's Top 250 Most Acclaimed Films (2010) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 6 stars)

5. Revolution / Revolutions (collaborative: moderated by nauru - 5 stars)

6. Aughties Films to See (public: theficionado - 3 stars)

7. Coheed's Films I Need To See Or Try To Track Down (public: Coheed - 3 stars)

8. TSPDT 21st Century's Top 250 Most Acclaimed Films (2011) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 2 stars)

9. Netflix Watch Instantly (public: dgeiser13 - 2 stars)

10. Romanian New Wave [Noul val românesc]. (collaborative: moderated by karamazov. - 1 star)

11. film puanlamalarım (collaborative - 1 star)

12. Ari Aster's list (public: ramynoodle - 1 star)

13. Metacritic - Generally Favorable Reviews (collaborative: moderated by sengir)

14. Camera d'Or (collaborative: moderated by toro913)

15. m-canon (public: horazalra)

Browse the full list of collections

Show:

All Ratings | With Reviews

Order by:

TCI | Percentile | Date Rated | # Stars (Reviews)

Date	User	Rating
Apr 26, 2021	Moribunny	68 _70th
This has the gritty realism central to the Romanian New Wave, a slow burn, and political subject matter. I never expected to laugh out loud during the lengthy live broadcast scene. A lot of things about this are definitely overdone: Ion Sapdaru's guilt-ridden acting, the cameraman's glitches, the nervous paper-tearing gag. It's an uncomplicated satire, a little roughly cut, but still ably written and quite funny.
Dec 28, 2019	radumsmn	71 _53rd
Ceva tot a fost.
May 20, 2019	parcaliham	60 _27th
May 12, 2019 / Forget
Jan 14, 2017	PeterVincent	60 _17th
"12:08 East of Bucharest" was an interesting look into the lives of three people who are trying to understand what it means to be apart of the revolution 16 years prior. The film was acted and shot well, and explored themes about the spreading of ideas, what it means to protest, & memory. I got a lot from watching this movie.
Aug 28, 2016	PeaceAnarchy	88 _90th
The first half hour sets the tone and got a few small laughs from me, but it was once the three main characters got together that the film really explodes. It's pretty damn dark, and still manages to be hilarious with a mix of little sight gags, verbal repartee and an unending stream of criticism, both direct and indirect people petty vices.
Aug 05, 2016	RuruSmasher	92 _83rd
My favorite Romanian comedy (there are so few good ones, unfortunately). Porumboiu stages a local TV broadcast on the occasion of the Romanian revolution (very near Christmas) and uses the 3 small town characters to explore and mock the broader attitudes us Romanians have about that event. It's also incredibly funny, and incredibly sad, which is always great.
Mar 05, 2016	donquixotic	1 _3rd
A comedy seemingly bereft of jokes
Feb 20, 2016	FrancoGonzo	13 _68th
Star Rating: ★★★1/2
Jul 24, 2013	gokseltuzun	68 _24th
Cannes'da gösterilmiş olması ve son dönemde zirveye oynayan Romanya ismini yanyana duyunca heyecanla izleyip, filmin sonunda hayal kırıklığına uğradığım bir film oldu.
Jan 12, 2013	Janos	89 _49th
What is history? This movie addresses this great question in a very accessible way, with subtle links between the different parts of the movie. Lots of laughs, but the pacing is a little bit slow.
Oct 09, 2012	synthono	62 _10th
Almost exactly half-way through the film there is a scene where two characters sit awkwardly while a third character rambles on about nothing in order to appear clever. I could identify with them. The film can be amusing, and I imagine there are many jokes that are fantastic if you're Romanian, but, like its news anchor, it struggles to get to the point.
Jun 24, 2012	frnk23	65 _56th
some good laughs
Nov 17, 2011	SlantMag	35 _90th
"A deadpan comedy that evolves into a wry, politicized examination of truth." - Nick Schager
Dec 26, 2010	drawkward86	89 _75th
Flawlessly written, brilliantly economical "gray comedy" (apologies and kudos to the reviewer below who coined that) about the snowball effect of human pettiness and the chaos that ensues when we examine our most cherished illusions too closely. Fantastic performances by all three lead actors. Love the cinematography; despite its extreme staticness, the camera always seems to be just where it should be. Great example of the knack of former Eastern Bloc filmmakers for making the bleak beautiful.
Jun 24, 2010	timmo	90 _66th
It helps to get a lecture from a scholar on Romanian film about it. There's a lot of heart to what is a very funny, deceptively complex film. Good filmmaking.
Jun 09, 2009	Obdurate	75 _52nd
This was supposed to be a comedy too, right? I definitely found a few parts funny, but as a whole the movie was more clever than humorous. And it was definitely a clever script, so no bones to pick there. The cinematography is beautiful. It was refreshing to see a -- for lack of a better word -- artistic comedy, because I don't see that many of those since comedies focus more on the laughs than anything else (with good reason, y'know).
Aug 31, 2008	prowler	55 _55th
very funny and a reminder of our pettiness
Apr 02, 2008	andayb	65 _68th
exceptionally original script, hilarious in general.
Apr 01, 2008	Icarus	84 _75th
A delightful film that subtly contextualizes its comedic moments later in the film by suggesting certain realities about the town in the slower, but in some ways more interesting, first half. I also loved the bookend scenes of the town's lights going off and on.
Jan 11, 2008	DavidKahane	79 _62nd
More of an exercise than a full realized film, but fascinating nonetheless. Most of the film is staged as an awkward televised debate with scholars squirming in their seats and fumbling with paper as a series of callers challenge their assertions. There is an audacity in this simplicity and the faith that ideas and conflicted personalities can carry a film. It also offers a view of the overwhelming gray of an eastern European city, where every surface is the color of a well-trod sidewalk.
Oct 18, 2007	MartinTeller	75 _54th
There's a lot of funny moments to be had, and given the drab tones of the photography, I'd call it a "gray comedy". However, I always struggle with Eastern European political allegories, and I wasn't sure what the message was. It seemed to say that everyone recalls the events differently, and perhaps it's more important to simply carry on with life. The movie didn't really grab me that much, but it was amusing and a fairly pleasant way to pass 80 minutes.
Jun 12, 2007	CinematicESP	92 _91st
A hilarious film, hilarious in a way unlike Hollywood films. A good example of great minimalist filmmaking.
Apr 21, 2007	willofgaia	80 _43rd
The first half is decent, but nothing special (Dare I say boring?), but once the studio sequence starts, the film becomes absolutely hysterical.
Jan 07, 2007	turin	35 _7th
Not of interest to people outside of Romenia (or East-block), with exception of exotic viewing during a filmfest.

Average Percentile 59.2% from 355 Ratings