It's the sixteenth anniversary of the revolution that removed the communist dictator from power in Romania, and Jderescu, a Romanian newsman, wants to do a special report honoring the anniversary. Jderescu spends the day corralling a group of everyday citizens to discuss their role in the overthrow of the communist regime, hoping to capture how their lives have changed since. Only able to find two guests - Piscoci, an elderly man, and Manescu, a drunkard schoolteacher, Jderescu begins his special report only to discover that memories about the revolution aren't exactly what he expected. Corneliu Porumboiu's 12;08 East to Bucharest is a tepidily-paced, satirical comedy looking at a small town in Romania. This is a film I admire more so than actually enjoy, as the film takes a long time to get going. What unfolds in the last 45 minutes or so is brilliant though, with Porumboiu using a dry sense of humor to comment on memory, and more importantly how one's perceptions or desires to feel part of something can skew the truth. We see this through the various townspeople who call into Jderescu, each having their own distinct memories which strongly conflict with each other about the revolution. Everyone seems to remember what the want too in this small, somewhat depressing town. The cinematography in 12:08 East to Bucharest further exposes Porumboiu's intentions, painting this town as a decaying relic which gives the whole film a sad undertone, as these people through their jaded memories try to convince themselves of their own importance.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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