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.
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12/04/07
12:08 East of Bucharest (2007)
95 %
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 44
Fresh: 42
Rotten:2
Average Rating: 7.8/10
Consensus: With a witty script full of satirical overtones and dry humor, 12:08 East of Bucharest is a thoroughly enjoyable Romanian comedy.
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... [More]
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Reviews for 12:08 East of Bucharest
Top Critic12:08 East of Bucharest is easier to admire than enjoy, funnier to describe than actually watch.
11/30/07
Top CriticThe movie provokes low-key laughs (yes, it's a comedy), but with a sad overtone.
10/12/07
Porumboiu’s satire about history and short memories is a modest, deadpan masterpiece.
10/06/07
Dryly funny throughout its first half, the film truly comes to life in its final 45 minutes.
10/06/07
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.
10/06/07
You will laugh till the streetlights blink on again in the damp Romanian twilight.
10/06/07
While 12:08 East of Bucharest could take more than one viewing to truly appreciate, it’s worth the commitment.
10/06/07
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.
09/28/07
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.
09/27/07
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.
09/14/07
Top CriticThe film leaves off on a perfect note of hopeful melancholy.
09/13/07
Human, savvy, funny, well observed; kudos to director Porumboiu for making something from nothing
08/23/07
Extremely clever filmmaking--sharp and very funny, but also challenging and packed with relevance.
08/17/07
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.
08/17/07
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.
08/17/07
A terrifically droll and slyly incisive comedy.
08/17/07
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.
08/17/07
It won the best first film award at Cannes; somehow, it doesn't seem quite substantial enough to justify that accolade.
08/17/07
Beautifully observed and very funny, this film is a real treat.
08/17/07
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