June 13, 2012 - "The Way I Spent the End of the World" (2006)

June 13, 2012

"The Way I Spent the End of the World" (2006)
Director: Catalin Mitulescu
Origin: Romania | France
Language: Romanian
Running time: 106 min

In 1989 Romania, plucky 17-year-old Eva Matei (Doroteea Petre) comes of age as she schemes to escape the country's tyranny with help from her recalcitrant neighbor (Cristian Vararu). Meanwhile, as her parents endure the brutal dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu, Eva's 7-year-old brother (Timotei Duma) plots to kill the despot. Writer-director Catalin Mitulescu's powerful, astute feature debut also stars Ionut Becheru and Mircea Diaconu. (from Netflix.com)

(This film was carried forward from the opening of the season, when it had to be replaced because of broken DVD.)

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Review of last week's film (The Human Resources Manager, 3.5 stars)
Steven says: Director Eran Riklis set the bar high with his two previous films, "Lemon Tree" and "The Syrian Bride". In this film, he again tries to find the commonalities between different cultures by focusing on individuals and their personal struggles. He may have stretched too far, because the story doesn't always feel like it's on sound footing. But the underlying motivations and emotions of the main character, especially as they evolve, keep the story going. Some may call the story slow-moving; I call it unfolding.