Tuesday 18 January 2011

Tales From the Golden Age [2009]


The Romanian New Wave has given us some of the most brilliant films of the last decade. And Cristian Mungiu, who made the devastating 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, has continued in the tradition by collaborating with 4 other directors for Tales from the Golden Age, a seemingly light but a decidedly black comedy on life in the Ceausescu regime. The film comprises of 6 chapters – short films, if you will – depicting the various facets of everyday life under the draconian rule, with all their irreverence, ironies, silliness and banality, and are filled with the kind of caustic wit and absurdist, wry, tar-black humour that Romanian films like 12:08 East of Bucharest and California Dreamin’ have made the country’s own. The tales, though of mundane, tragi-comic existences of common people, have been presented as urban legends of sorts, and have been captured through brilliant performances, sharp storytelling and naturalistic cinematography. Most of the seemingly innocuous stories end badly for their protagonists, yet what remain are their humanism, and biting commentaries on the socio-political times they lived in. The shorts include the disastrous preparation of Ceausescu’s arrival in a small village, the preparation of a party-sponsored photograph that again ends on a hilarious note, the innovative attempts of a family to slaughter a live pig without much raucous, a laconic truck-driver who tries to earn a few extra bucks by selling eggs, a young girl who is inadvertently drawn into a minor racket involving empty bottles, and a zealous party-member who tries bringing in education in a remote village.






Directors: Cristian Mungiu, Constantin Popescu, Hanno Hofer, Ioano Uricaru, Razvan Marculescu
Genre: Drama/Black Comedy/Social Satire/Political Satire
Language: Romanian
Country: Romania

5 comments:

Sam Juliano said...

Shubhajit: I haven't yet seen this film, but appreciate the celebratory review and the rightful discussian of Romanian cinema in general. I did see a Romanian film on the big screen this past week (WHEN I WANT TO WHISTLE, I WHISTLE) and I have been following the ongoing releases in the Romanian New Wave movement over the past severla years. I will no doubt be visiting this terrific capsule in the not-too-distant future.

Stephen said...

"...all their irreverence, ironies, silliness and banality, and are filled with the kind of caustic wit and absurdist, wry, tar-black humour that Romanian films...have made the country’s own."

Absolutely. A fine encapsulation.

I enjoyed the one that ends with them stuck on the fairground ride which is a wonderful symbol of life under Communist rule - the passer-by who sees them in the distance and thinks they're enjoying themselves is a great touch.

My other favourite is the one with the bottles, which is very naturalistic in performance and behaviour.

I'm not a great admirer of modern Romanian film but I am very pleased that it, and what it talks about, is gaining recognition. 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND TWO DAYS is very good, mind.

Shubhajit said...

Well, it would be an understatement to say that I've fallen in love with the Romanian New Wave cinema. Apart from the ones I've mentioned in the review, I've been fortunate to see a few more acclaimed films from the country, including Death of Dr. Lazarescu & Police, Adjective. And yeah, I did read your praise of the film you've mentioned, and I sure would like to catch hold of it. Please do visit this film as I'm sure you'll love it. Thanks for the words Sam.

Shubhajit said...

Thanks a lot Stephen for the appreciation. Yeah, I'm completely with you as far as your favourite chapter goes. It ranks as my favourite too. And as you mentioned, the wry symbolism at the end was as brilliant as it was acerbic. In fact, even the one with the photographers was excellent.

Well, its no open secret that I have a fascination for Romanian films, though they are a tad difficult to get hold of. The wry sense of humour and pointed observations in them, coupled with superb naturalism, really make films from that country a breed of their own.

Shubhajit said...

Thanks a lot Stephen for the appreciation. Yeah, I'm completely with you as far as your favourite chapter goes. It ranks as my favourite too. And as you mentioned, the wry symbolism at the end was as brilliant as it was acerbic. In fact, even the one with the photographers was excellent.

Well, its no open secret that I have a fascination for Romanian films, though they are a tad difficult to get hold of. The wry sense of humour and pointed observations in them, coupled with superb naturalism, really make films from that country a breed of their own.