Too much of everything

Sadly Over-hyped

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

After the fall of communism in Romania, civilians are encouraged to fight and protect a local TV station. One soldier leaves his group to fight with them. Like many Romanian films of late, this film has strong historical and social value to Romania. And like other Romanian films I have seen, not a lot happens. I mean that in the sense of actual events. A lot of this film is set in the back of a truck. Unfortunately, I also found this film to be the least engaging and the least accessible. 12:08 East of Bucharest, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu were all instant classics and in among the best films of the last 10 years. I think the dark and pale cinematography, lead me to become tired and bored of the subject going on. A lot of it is interesting, but the beginning/end didn't carry the emotional impact I have come to expect from the Romanian New Wave.

Through the lens of actual historical events, the director manages to explore the humanity of each of his major characters, with their ideals, quirks and vulnerabilities. It's the story of a group of people railroaded by history, a story of how things can go terribly wrong despite everyone's efforts to do good.The director has managed to make a fast-paced movie while at the same time taking the time to develop his characters in unexpected directions. Whatever stereotypes you bring to this movie, they'll be challenged by a disarming humanity (and by the construction of the plot). And if you don't have any stereotypes to bring to the movie, it's a timeless lesson on the blind workings of history in times of social unrest.More than anything else I've seen or read on this subject, this movie made me re-live the confusing but adrenaline-laden moments of December 1989 in Bucharest.

An inspiring review of a chain of events that led to the unfortunate and accidental death of a team of Militia recruits.The movie starts by telling us the ending even before the credits; all throughout the movie we watch the events unfolding, knowing the conclusion, yet hoping for a different one.A wonderful recreation of the revolutionary Bucharest of 1989, with extreme care for details, humor and that which can only be defined as the Romanian spirit of the time.The hypnotically contradictory sketches (a man carrying a Christmas tree in the subway station while bullets were flying outside, or the mistaking of a gypsy for an Arab terrorist) leave the viewer laughing and crying at once.For anyone interested in a most realistic review of the Romanian Revolution of 1989 -- one that is, however, in no way a documentary -- this is a must-see.

Was it a revolution? Was it a coup? Who was in control? Was it the military? Was it the armed militia? Nobody really knows actually. But what we do know is that the events depicted in this movie - which took place more than 16 years ago - changed the history of a country.The film tells the story of a young militia force soldier on the night the alleged Romanian revolution takes place. He is young, he is a bit confused, a bit enthusiastic, a bit scared. Yet he decides to disobey his superior and go fight on the side of the people to protect the national television headquarters against the terrorists. Soon after he leaves, his mates decide to abandon their patrolling mission and go in search of him. But somewhere along the way, things turn terribly wrong. For everybody. Because there is fighting on the streets, because its dark and its cold, because nobody knows whose supposed to fight who, where everybody else is (as the soldier, Cristi, never gets to the TV headquarters), who the terrorists are, what the recognition password is...The characters all seem to fit so well with the general confusion but also adding compassion and humor to the whole story that one might think this is almost a documentary of real events. Of course, this is achieved through an attention for detail that only those familiar with Romania would truly appreciate. But do not let that put you off; the real message of this film has nothing to do with specific issues and humor transcends borders.Trying to be as objective as possible, given the clever directing, natural and sharp dialog, solid script, I can only give this movie a 9, as nothing that is country-specific will detract from the pleasure of watching this movie. Highly recommended!