Romanian Cinema

Mark Cruz15 said:It’s clearly no easy feat being a truly great director. Most of those supposed "masterpiece" filmographies from smaller nations essentially rest on the shoulders of just one or two individuals. Take Iran, for example; you wouldn't even recognize Iranian cinema without Asghar Farhadi, though there are certainly other gems out there. Similarly, the world only really took notice of Romanian cinema because of one specific man—Cristi Puiui.

Hold on now!

But why am I unable to name a single significant director from:
Portugal, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia, or the Czech Republic?

Yet, when it comes to Romanians, I can recall several names. At least I’d actually recognize them if their names popped up on a movie poster.

goldenhound32 said:Hold it right there!

But seriously, why is it that I can't seem to pull a single significant director's name out of thin air from...
Portugal, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic...

Because...

It’s pretty obvious that being a damn good director isn't easy...

There’s no magic formula to this, really... you just have to be genuinely good at what you do and hope someone notices, because that’s the only way goldenhound32 is ever going to hear your name. But honestly, being talented is only half the battle. It’s actually much more critical to have a powerhouse production studio behind you—one that can actually land spots at the major festivals, help subsidize those mounting production costs, and provide the kind of heavy-duty technical support you actually need to get a project off the ground...
Every nation produces its own roster of legendary names, though some stay confined to their local borders while others truly manage to achieve global recognition. Honestly, I wouldn't have even known who Krst Papić was if you hadn't mentioned him... whereas everyone knows the work of Miloš Forman.

This film is pure genius.

Aferim!

goldenhound32 said:even if filmmakers from Iran are just as heavy hitters, these two aren't really cutting from the same cloth.

Are you kidding me? Long takes, hyperrealism, political undertones, meta layers—all that stuff. Iranian directors were basically PhD holders in that style thirty years ago. 😁

Dennis Martin6 said:Oh, come on, how can you say that isn't the case? We're talking long takes, hyperrealism, heavy political subtext, and those meta-cinematic layers... the kind of stuff Iranian filmmakers were basically getting PhDs in thirty years ago. 😁

Exactly. Their first truly great film relies heavily on those extended shots and very sparse dialogue. https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0072248/

Dennis Martin6 said:Oh, come on. Long takes, hyperrealism, deep political undertones, meta-cinematic layers... Iranian filmmakers were basically getting their PhDs in those techniques thirty years ago. 😁

Well, if it’s all that easy to "copy," why isn't everyone else doing it?

@jk
Sure, Aferim is great.
👍

goldenhound32 said:Hold up!

But why can't I name even one major director from:
Portugal, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia, or Czechia?

Yet with Romanians, I actually know quite a few names. At least I could recognize them if they were on a movie poster.

You don't know about...
Manoela de Oliveira?
Shepitko and Dovzhenko?
Zemeckis? 😛
Menzel, Forman, Chytilová!?

Mark Cruz15 said:Because:
There's no magic formula. You just have to be good and get noticed for goldenhound32 to hear your name. Honestly, though, it’s more important to have one killer scene that gets you into festivals, helps cover costs through grants, and brings in all that technical support.
Every country has its heavy hitters; some just stay local while others break out globally. You probably wouldn't even know Krst Papić exists if we weren't from the same place, yet you definitely know Menzel.

To the rest of the world, it feels like North American cinema starts and ends with Kusturica. 😁 Or
Mexican Film. 😬

It seems to me that sometimes the most hyped director in a country isn't the one getting the most love abroad. For example, I feel like when it comes to international acclaim, Kieślowski is probably the biggest name in Polish cinema, even if Wajda holds a higher status back home in Poland. Or maybe that's just my take. 😁

Maybe it’s just that they have superior film schools and a better educational system overall... I’ve met several Romanian women who had incredibly solid liberal arts backgrounds.
For instance, since they’re a Romance people, their high culture and education tend to be heavily oriented toward French language and sources, and when you actually follow the French—you know, the philosophers, the writers, all in the original tongue—it provides this intellectual foundation that's just a much thicker layer than what we have here, for example.
Looking at the current generation of middle-aged American directors, honestly, I can't think of a single one who strikes me as a top-tier intellectual with a truly deep, foundational education...

rowdytinker3 said:It’s a masterpiece, plain and simple—four months, three weeks, and two days of pure cinema. 🙏 Honestly, when I look back, I was practically catatonic for a few days after finishing it.

Absolutely, it's disturbingly good. 🙏

The script feels like something Hemingway would have penned.

Nicholas Nguyen said:I think this movie is pure genius.

Aferim!

🙂

A top-tier film.

It feels spontaneous, direct, and completely honest.

goldenhound32 said:Hold on there!

But I guess I can't think of a single major director from:
Portugal, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia, or the Czech Republic.

I definitely know more names from Romania, though. At least I'd recognize them if they were listed on a movie poster.

The Czech Republic?

Oh, plenty! Miloš Forman? vera Chytilova? Menzel? Nemec? Just off the top of my head.

Samuel Scott54 said:The Czech Republic?

Everything. Miloš Forman? Vera Chytilova? Menzel? Nemec? I can pull those names out of thin air if I really wanted to.

Taken completely out of context!

We were discussing the last twenty years.

Samuel Scott54 said:People love them.🙂

Honestly, Americans working alongside South Koreans are killing it in cinema right now. I'm being dead serious. Maybe Iran can give them a run for their money.

Think about how many heavy hitters have come out lately... Death of Mr. Lazaresk, Aurora, 12:08 East of Bucharest, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Marilena with P7, priča iz zlatan doba, California Dreamin... just endless stuff.

Anyone got some solid movie recs from the last couple of years?

Richard Wilson4 said:Any recommendations for movies from the last couple of years?

They didn't exactly blow my mind, though I'll admit both were solid enough...
Parking
Breaking News

I haven't sat down to watch those two yet, but honestly, if I’m being truthful, for the last few years, Aferim is the only one that’s actually stuck in my mind as a truly great film.

Mark Cruz15 said:They didn't really blow my mind, but both are solid choices.
Parking
Breaking News

Thanks.

So I hit up the AMC last week to catch this flick about two lesbians—honestly, I only sat down for it because I saw a scene where one of them was topless!
If you didn't listen to the dialogue, you wouldn't even realize it wasn't an American film. It’s pretty clear we all draw inspiration from the same cultural well, isn't it? You can totally see exactly where the influence is coming from.

If this is supposed to be a film from 2006, then it’s nothing more than Lovesick. I started watching it, but I ended up turning it off. Just incredibly tedious.

Radu Jude’s latest film just took home the Golden Bear in New York City