Tales from the Golden Age

mungiu sokayım sana be kanka. komunizmden başka bi derdin yok mu aq adamı yeter ya

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.

Only caught 2 stories, gotta catch this again sometime - think it'll go up.

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

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

Magical.

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.

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.

Six urban legends from Ceaușescu-era Romania, with official visits, black marketeering, scam artists, propaganda, and literacy programs the targets of its satire. The episodes range from the sharply amusing (especially the second and fourth episodes) to the gently amusing (the first and third), to the darkly observant (the fifth), to the rather pointless (the sixth). At 150 minutes, there are longueurs, but even the weaker segments have their strengths. Technically quite sound, with good music.