Even if the self-isolation came to an end recently, here I am, still at home, which doesn’t surprise me at all. I return with a new set of movie recommendations, this time 100% Romanian, both short and feature films. The films I’ve selected are all streaming on the Cinepub platform, one of my favorites, where you can watch any movie in their archive for free, on any day and at any time. Today I mostly recommend Romanian classic films that should be included on the must-watch list:

SHORT FILMS:

– Coffee and Cigarettes (dir. Cristi Puiu) – A tribute to Jarmusch’s Coffee and Cigarettes, the film tells the story of a father (Victor Rebengiuc) who was fired two years before retirement and now is looking for another job, but he needs the help of his son (Mimi Branescu). Their short meeting shows two generations with different mentalities, but who act according to the same principle: Kent cigarettes and a pack of coffee can make the difference when you want to get a new job.

– The Ditch (dir. Adrian Silisteanu) – On a hot summer day, Vasile, a villager of about 50, refuses to accompany his wife Lucretia to a religious ceremony, finding a good excuse: he has to finish the ditch in front of their house to avoid paying a fine.

– Superman, Spiderman or Batman (dir. Tudor Giurgiu) – A short film signed by Tudor Giurgiu, winner of the prestigious BAFTA Award at Aspen Shortsfest, as well as the European Film Academy Best Short Award in 2012. Aron, a 5-year-old boy, wishes to become a superhero so he can save his mother suffering from a heart condition.

– Tennis (dir. Vladimir Dembinski) – A short film directed by Vladimir Dembinski about the relationship between father and son in the context of a tennis match that the boy has to win at any cost. Tennis is the story of all children and adults who have been forced by their parents or certain circumstances to aim too high when it is not the case.

– Chers Amis (dir. Valeriu Andriuta) – In the staff room of a school, a few adults are discussing important issues. At the same time, outside, in the cold, a child is waiting for his mom and a pending verdict. The short film Chers Amis is the first author’s project signed by Valeriu Andriuta.

FEATURE FILMS:

– The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (dir. Cristi Puiu) – The Death of Mr. Lazarescu is a representative Romanian film for the history of Romanian cinematography, not only locally, but especially internationally. 63-year-old Mr. Lăzărescu lives in a flat with his three cats. His wife died and his daughter lives in Canada. He’s not feeling well, so he calls for an ambulance. Eventually, he asks for the help of his neighbors. The doctor who consults him is suspecting him of colon cancer, so he decides to hospitalize him.

– Child’s Pose (dir. Calin Peter Netzer) – Child’s Pose is the Romanian movie that won the Golden Bear and the FIPRESCI at the Berlin International Movie Festival, 2013. Cornelia is 60 years old and is deeply unhappy: her son, Barbu, aged 34, is fighting desperately to win his autonomy. He moved out of his parents’ house, drives his own car, has a girlfriend who, obviously, doesn’t live up to his mother’s expectations, and – which is most troubling – he avoids his mother as much as he can. When Cornelia finds out that Barbu was involved in a tragic car crash, her maternal instincts take over.

– Chasing Rainbows (dir. Dan Chişu) – The film tells a tragicomic story about the illusion of getting rich and the disposition of dreaming about chasing rainbows. The lack of technological skills leads to misunderstandings and a simple Spam e-mail makes two of the main characters (Buzilă and Tocitu) fall for a lottery farce. It’s a Romanian film that plays on the typology of the naive character who is caught in the web of their own credulity.

– Back Home (dir. Andrei Cohn) – Robert is a young writer passing through a crisis moment in his life. For the first time since his mother passed away he decides to return to his native village. He spends 24 hours there and, after many years, he meets his father, his best friend from childhood and his former girlfriend. 24 hours of questioning all these relationships.

– Stuff and Dough (dir. Cristi Puiu) – A young man from Constanța who has his own business (sells from the window of his apartment) wants to expand and buy a stall, but he hasn’t got the means just yet. A local toff offers him a significant sum of money for an apparently simple transport: a bag that needs to be taken to Bucharest, at an exact address. However, the bag seems to contain some things that others show interest in. if at the beginning he believes he has only sold his services, the young man eventually understands that he had in fact sold his conscience.

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.