From horror movies and animations to family films and the premiere of a Moldovan production, July offers a variety of titles, for all those torrid days when you want to escape the heat outside by taking refuge in a cool cinema hall.

Carbon (dir. Ion Bors)

Moldova, the early 90s. Dima, a tractor driver, wants to enlist for the military troops taking part in the local war on the Transnistrian border. Vasea, an Afghan war veteran, joins him. While on their way to the front, the two find a carbonized body and decide to bury it according to the proper Christian rituals, but not before setting out, together with the body, on an absurd journey to discover his identity.

Carbon combines humor with the reality of a war-torn country, a society where people look out for their own interests and the world is divided between “our” and “their” side.

On July 5, at 8:00 pm, at the Elvire Popesco Cinema, there will be a screening followed by a Q&A with the film’s team, and from July 7, it can be seen in cinemas across the country.

Insidious: The Red Door (dir. Patrick Wilson)

10 years ago, Josh Lambert and his son, Dalton, decided to forget about The Further once and for all. But the demons won’t let them move on so easily. So far, the occasional strange phenomena and confusion felt by the two when thinking about the past could be ignored, but with Dalton leaving for college, all the repressed demons suddenly return to haunt them both. Father and son must venture back into the Further to confront them, but each step into the depths brings about even more dangers.

Insidious: The Red Door marks the directorial debut of Patrick Wilson, the actor who plays Josh Lambert. The film hits theaters on July 7.

Afire (dir. Christian Petzold)

Leon and Felix want to spend their summer at Felix’s family holiday home by the Baltic Sea to work on their art projects (Leon is a writer and Felix is a photographer). When they get there, they discover that the villa has already been occupied by Nadja, Felix’s mother’s coworker.

As Leon and Nadja grow closer, her boyfriend, Devid, shows up. Complicated relationships develop among the four, smoldering until they spiral out of control like the wildfire engulfing the surrounding forest where they live. ”The film constantly palpitates, driven by the almost ancestral tension of an artistic act stuck between friendship, danger, and the entire palette of intermediary feelings that turn cinema into a joke with very serious effects.” writes Victor Morozov in his review for FiF, Afire – Summer’s almost gone.

Winner of the Silver Bear at the Berlinale 2023, Afire opens in cinemas across the country on July 7.

Rally Road Racers (dir. Ross Venokur)

Zhi lives a quiet life in his village and dreams of becoming a race car driver. Everything changes with the arrival of Archie Vainglorious, the reigning champion of the rally car circuit and a businessman set to demolish the entire village, including Zhi’s grandmother’s house. To divert him from his plan, Zhi wages a bet with Archie.

The two will compete in the four-day Silk Road Rally, and if Zhi wins, Archie will leave the village alone. Archie accepts, and Zhi begins preparing for the race of his life with help from former racing champion-turned-mechanic Gnash.

The film stars Jimmy O. Yang, J.K. Simmons, Catherine Tate, Lisa Lu, and John Cleese, and will hit theaters on July 7.

Raoul Taburin (dir. Pierre Godeau)

Based on the comic book by Sempé, Raoul Taburin revolves around a bicycle expert and dealer who hides a terrible secret: he has never been able to ride a bike without using stabilizers.

His childhood and teenage years were spent trying to overcome his flaw – but to no avail. All attempts to tell his secret have also failed. Nobody believes him. When photographer Hervé Figougne moves to the village, the two become fast friends, and Raoul finally has to accept his truth.

The film will be screened on July 8, at 11:00 am, at the Elvire Popesco Cinema. The screening will be preceded by a book sale session in partnership with Frontiera Publishing House (starting at 10:00 am). The first 30 adult+child pairs who purchase a book from the stand will have free entry to the movie.

Melissa Antonescu

Writer, photographer and videographer. For Films in Frame she writes news about the latest happenings in the film world and brings to the readers' attention the productions that can be seen at the cinema. When she's not writing articles, she's photographing people in a small studio or searching for new cake recipes.