| Nostalgia for the "revolution" |
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| written by talltale |
October 11, 2007 - 4:48 PM PDT |
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2 out of 3 members found this review helpful
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| Romania, as it approaches nearly two decades after the ouster of the Communist regime, is the subject of 12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST, and this is every bit as depressing as you might expect. But funny, too, as a small-town local TV host corals some walk-in guests for his show about the "revolution," and then takes calls from a not-particularly-convinced audience. Knowledge of Romania's recent history will help you enjoy this; some of us certainly remember those lovely Ceausescus who, pre-revolution, ran the country (into the ground). The first section of the film introduces us to the characters, while the second covers the TV show. "What is truth" gets its usual workout here, and the movie's most special scene is devoted to the show guest from whom nothing is expected (by the Romanians or us viewers) but who gives perhaps the only real "truth" in the entire movie and, for his trouble, is ignored. This is not a Romanian Chamber of Commerce tourist flick, for sure, though it did win some awards along its festival route last year and is certainly watchable--but nowhere near the level of humanity and "film smarts" demonstrated by last year's "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu." |
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