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MOVIES / ON DVD / 12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST
12:08 East of Bucharest

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12:08 East of Bucharest (2007)

95%
93%
88%
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95 %
Reviews Counted: 44 Fresh: 42  Rotten:2 Average Rating: 7.8/10
 
Consensus: A thoroughly enjoyable Romanian comedy. With a witty script full of satirical overtones and dry humor, 12:08 East of Bucharest is a thoroughly enjoyable Romanian comedy. more
 
Rated: Not Rated
Runtime: 89 mins
Theatrical Release: Jun 6, 2007 Limited
Synopsis:
16 years after the Revolution and just days before Christmas, a local television station in Bucharest has invited several guests to share their moments of glory, as they allegedly stormed city hall, chanting “down with Ceasescu!,” before Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, and his wife... [More]
16 years after the Revolution and just days before Christmas, a local television station in Bucharest has invited several guests to share their moments of glory, as they allegedly stormed city hall, chanting “down with Ceasescu!,” before Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, and his wife fled the presidential palace by helicopter so many years ago. An alcoholic history teacher and a lonely retiree, who moonlights as Santa, are forced to answer questions from dubious viewers who aren’t overly convinced that the Revolution ever took place in their city. --© Tartan Films [Less]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Mircea Andreescu, Teo Corban, Ion Sapdaru

Director: Corneliu Porumboiu
Screenwriter: Corneliu Porumboiu
Producer: Corneliu Porumboiu

DVD Info

Release:

Oct 9, 2007

[DVD Details]

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Reviews

 
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Ratings Image

Dry comedies from eastern Europe tend to cast a skeptical eye on anything and everything, which is certainly the case with Corneliu Porumboiu's debut feature.

Full Review | Comment
12/04/07 05:59 PM
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
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12:08 East of Bucharest is easier to admire than enjoy, funnier to describe than actually watch.

Full Review | Comment
11/30/07 11:21 AM
John Monaghan
Detroit Free Press
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The movie provokes low-key laughs (yes, it's a comedy), but with a sad overtone.

Full Review | Comment
10/12/07 12:23 PM
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer
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Porumboiu’s satire about history and short memories is a modest, deadpan masterpiece.

Full Review | Comment
10/06/07 03:38 AM
David Fear
Time Out New York
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Dryly funny throughout its first half, the film truly comes to life in its final 45 minutes.

Full Review | Comment
10/06/07 03:38 AM
Martha Fischer
Cinematical
N/R

Porumboiu starts off making a mordant slice of life, but he gradually entwines the personal and the historical, then ends on a poignant note. The story and situation are slight, but in the best possible way.

Full Review | Comment
10/06/07 03:38 AM
Noel Murray
Onion AV Club
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You will laugh till the streetlights blink on again in the damp Romanian twilight.

Full Review | Comment
10/06/07 03:38 AM
Stuart Klawans
Nation
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While 12:08 East of Bucharest could take more than one viewing to truly appreciate, it’s worth the commitment.

Full Review | Comment
10/06/07 03:38 AM
Toddy Burton
Austin Chronicle
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Porumboiu's minimalist approach concentrates the movie's focus on its mournful characters, so disillusioned with their post-Communist life they question the history that led to it.

Full Review | Comment
09/28/07 07:27 PM
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune
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The self-indulgent 12:08 East of Bucharest certainly takes its time getting to the point. In fact, the first third of this film could have been trimmed without much damage. And this Romanian comedy-drama is only an hour and a half in length.

Full Review | Comment
09/27/07 05:12 PM
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
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12:08 East of Bucharest cleverly takes on the aftermath of the December 1989 revolution in Romania that resulted in the overthrow of Nicolae Ceaucescu. It's a movie that seems simple, yet its subtle and brilliant complexity is not to be denied.

Full Review | Comment
09/14/07 12:55 PM
Leba Hertz
San Francisco Chronicle
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The film leaves off on a perfect note of hopeful melancholy.

Full Review | Comment
09/13/07 10:45 PM
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
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Human, savvy, funny, well observed; kudos to director Porumboiu for making something from nothing

Full Review | Comment
08/23/07 08:27 PM
Marty Mapes
Movie Habit
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Extremely clever filmmaking--sharp and very funny, but also challenging and packed with relevance.

Full Review | Comment
08/17/07 07:55 AM
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
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The only problem with the new Romanian cinema seems to be titles few can easily remember - but some eccentricity is permissible when the films are so good.

Full Review | Comment
08/17/07 07:27 AM
Derek Malcolm
This is London
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A melancholy rumination on the failed hopes of Eastern Europe after the Cold War, infused with a sense of farce and the irrecoverable nature of the past.

Full Review | Comment
08/17/07 06:57 AM
Anthony Quinn
Independent
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A terrifically droll and slyly incisive comedy.

Full Review | Comment
08/17/07 05:35 AM
Sukhdev Sandhu
Daily Telegraph
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The central European tradition of failed aspirations, lost ideals and forlorn eccentrics goes back to early Forman, or indeed Chekhov, but the Latin Romanians bring their own awareness of the distant big city alternately beckoning and frightening.

Full Review | Comment
08/17/07 05:23 AM
Martin Hoyle
Financial Times
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It won the best first film award at Cannes; somehow, it doesn't seem quite substantial enough to justify that accolade.

Full Review | Comment
08/17/07 05:01 AM
Andrew Pulver
Guardian [UK]
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Beautifully observed and very funny, this film is a real treat.

Full Review | Comment
08/17/07 04:36 AM
Wendy Ide
Times [UK]
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Related Forums

REEL_REVIEWER
Romania gets an Independent SPIRIT nom for 12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST for 2007 awards!!!
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REEL_REVIEWER
Romania gets an Independent SPIRIT nom for 12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST for 2007 awards!!!
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REEL_REVIEWER
Romania gets an Independent SPIRIT nom for 12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST for 2007 awards!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/13/07


REEL_REVIEWER
Romania gets an Independent SPIRIT nom for 12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST for 2007 awards!!!
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