The second half of November is not that exciting when it comes to film, but that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to watch on the big (and small, no reason to judge) screens, and in fact there are two new Romanian films that just entered theaters. So, as usual, we come with 3 recommendations of movies to watch at the cinema and three for the lazy ones who want to stay at home.

TO BE WATCHED IN CINEMAS:

– The Cardinal (dir. Nicolae Mărgineanu; biography) – In the 1950s, the leaders of the Greek-Catholic church were arrested and imprisoned in the Sighet penitentiary. The Soviet regime prohibits the existence of another church outside the Orthodox one. Face to face with an unusual torturer, there’s only one exist… conversion or death. The Cardinal presents a part of the Greek-Catholic bishop Iuliu Hossu’s life, several scenes from the Great Union followed by the period of the forced conversion in the Sighet penitentiary.

The film can be watched on Friday, November 22, at Cinema Europa from 7:15 pm.

– Frida. Viva la Vida (dir. Giovanni Troilo; biography) – If you are a fan of Frida Kahlo, this movie is clearly worth watching. It highlights the two parts of Frida Kahlo’s spirit: on the one hand, the revolutionary artist, a pioneer of contemporary feminism, and on the other, the human being, a victim of her tormented body and a troubled relationship.

Frida. Viva la Vida can be watched on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Happy Cinema Liberty Mall, from 7 pm (yes, at the same time on all three days). Details and tickets here.

– Heidi (dir. Cătălin Mitulescu; drama) – In the outskirts of Bucharest, in an area he’s known all his life, near 60s police officer Mihai Vișoiu is given the mission to find two prostitutes that are willing to testify in an organized crime case.  One of them is untraceable, but Heidi, a Moldovan from the mountains, falls into his hand pretty quickly. The trouble begins only when “Nea Mișu” has to go beyond all limits to convince her to collaborate.

If you want to learn more about Heidi, I recommend reading the Films in Frame review written by Călin Boto, here. Other than that, you can watch it on Friday, November 22, at the Union Cinema, from 8:30 pm.

______________________________________________________________________

FEELING LAZY? HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN WATCH AT HOME:

– Somewhere in Palilula (dir. Silviu Purcărete; comedy) – Serafim, a fresh graduate of a medical school, is assigned for a short-term at the hospital in Palilula, a little town lost somewhere on the map of the country. A quarantine area, a sanatorium, an improbable hospital, a gynecological clinic in a settlement where no child is born. Palilula is a place where ridicule coexists with marvels, and the community is isolated for eternity in drunkenness, feasting and orgy. The film follows the journey of Dr. Serafim in Palilula, for several years and seasons.

Somewhere in Palilula airs on Filmbox Arthouse on Saturday, November 23, at 1:40 pm. Or on CinePUB anywhere, anytime, here.

– Philanthropy (dir. Nae Caranfil; comedy) – A classic that needs no introduction. And yet: in the 21st century Bucharest, going out in the city on a Saturday evening with along a beautiful woman is a risky financial investment. Ovidiu (Mircea Diaconu), a modest high school teacher, couldn’t afford it. And yet he must, because he fell madly in love with Diana (Viorica Voda), a 20-year-old little mermaid with modelling aspirations.

The rest is history. Philanthropy can be watched on Prima TV on Sunday, November 24, at 11:00 pm.

– Dirty Pretty Things (dir. Stephen Frears; crime) – Invisible members of the London working class, Nigerian exile Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Turkish-born housekeeper Senay (Audrey Tautou) work in a hotel in West London, which is a front for illegal business. One night, Okwe makes a shocking discovery, which puts the two in an impossible dilemma and tests the limits of everything they know.

The movie can be watched on CineMAX on Saturday, November 23, at 08:50 am.

Romina Banu

Photographer and editor; she co-founded Dissolved Magazine together with Melissa. For Films in Frame she gathers film and TV series recommendations for lazy weekends and she writes about interesting projects from the film industry. Other than that, she likes traveling, chilling with her cats and sleeping.