Maybe you have to be Romanian to get this movie.
A comedy, it focuses on two men who claim they were part of the revolution that brought down Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in December 1989.
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While being interviewed by a local TV personality, the pair face callers who claim they were in the public square on that date (December 22, 1989) and that they did not see the two show’s guests.
Some of the humor is overt and can elicit a smile or two but by and large it is subdued. It is so understated in fact that it is not funny at all.
It is hard for the audience to sympathize with the two main characters, an old man and an alcoholic history teacher.
There is a smattering of humor in the calls taken by the TV show, with callers swearing and vehemently denying that the two men were where they claimed to be.
The question from the TV show host is, then, if people in their village took to the streets after Ceausescu had already left, were they really part of the revolution?
Maybe it’s because it is eastern European that the film is darker than it is funny.
There is a defeated air about all of the main characters, a sense of weary cynicism.
This film (director Corneliu Porumboiu’s first feature) is sad and slow but thoughtful.
“12:08 East of Bucharest,” at 89 minutes long, is available on DVD.
Murphy can be reached at: [email protected]
