41/50
This film is a complete technical failure
Synopsis
During the 1989 revolution in Romania, Sibiu witnesses a violent attack on a police station that escalates into armed clashes between soldiers, police, protesters and secret police. References Rocky (1976).
I was there during that revolution
It exudes the hallmarks of bad acting: actors shouting their lines the whole time. It presents the hallmarks of a bad scenario: no conclusion, no catharsis.
Then came the summary trial of the dictator on Christmas Day (to be followed later by the miners’ revolts, etc)
Everyone was trying to figure out what was next for our fate, whether we would end up in the EU or the Russians would take over. People were trying to figure out if their friends were alive, whether they would still have a job the next day.
A slapstick comedy, with historically accurate set design
None of this was a topic of the film. The marketing machine behind it and the official endorsement made for a packed theater.
Not even on the same level as well-executed modern Romanian thrillers like Boss (2023)
This is still not on the same level as the new Romanian cinema that made a mark on European cinema in previous years (4-3-2, Beyond the Hills, Aferim etc.).