Drolly funny and rigorously executed, Corneliu Porumboui’s The Treasure offers a fine example of the conceptual boldness that characterizes much of New Wave Romanian cinema. To anyone watching the film’s early scenes, “boldness” may seem like the very last word to use: Stylistically, most of The Treasure is characterized by a dry functionality that speaks to the bureaucratic, financial, legalistic goings-on in the film. But that’s kind of the point. And it’s all going somewhere, trust me.When we first see our hero, Costi (Toma Cuzin), he’s late to pick up his young son from school; he tells the boy that he wasn’t late but just hiding, like Robin Hood, their favorite bedtime story. That night — not coincidentally, as he’s reading Robin Hood to the boy — Costi’s upstairs neighbor Adrian (Adrian Purcarescu) visits and asks for an 800 euro loan. A sad sack...
- 1/9/2016
- by Bilge Ebiri
- Vulture
The Treasure has been praised by festival audiences and critics alike, but I’m still trying to figure out why. Arriving from the politically ravaged land of Romania, this dreary comedy tells the story of two men who search for riches to fight off building debts and feelings of mediocrity. We’re given a “jovial” taste of the oppression these European citizens feel on a daily basis, yet calling Corneliu Porumboiu’s film a comedy couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Performances are dull, Tudor Mircea’s cinematography lacks energy, and the entire production comes across like a dry, flaky wafer that’s almost a chore to digest. While this all plays into Porumboiu’s characterization of modern-day Romania, it just doesn’t translate into an enjoyable, or intriguing buddy “comedy” – with “comedy” being an extremely loose descriptor.
Toma Cuzin stars as Costi, a middle class citizen dealing with...
Performances are dull, Tudor Mircea’s cinematography lacks energy, and the entire production comes across like a dry, flaky wafer that’s almost a chore to digest. While this all plays into Porumboiu’s characterization of modern-day Romania, it just doesn’t translate into an enjoyable, or intriguing buddy “comedy” – with “comedy” being an extremely loose descriptor.
Toma Cuzin stars as Costi, a middle class citizen dealing with...
- 1/8/2016
- by Matt Donato
- We Got This Covered
Porumboiu, The Treasure Hunter: Yet Another Romanian Gem
As far as we’re aware, no Romanian director has yet made a movie about staring at a stark, white wall; that day may or may never come, but we can feel comfort in knowing that should such a film ever arrive, it will be sharp, hilarious, and entomb a trenchant historical inquiry pertaining to Romania’s revolutionary and Communist past. At least, this would conceivably be the case should Corneliu Porumboiu be behind the picture; if The Treasure is any indication, there may be no act too banal for him to turn into cinema gold, no narrative too thin or simple to have extracted from it a wealth of macro and micro details.
Simply put, this is a film set in modern day Bucharest in which two men, Costi (Cuzin Toma) and Adrian (Adrian Purcarescu), engage in a search for a...
As far as we’re aware, no Romanian director has yet made a movie about staring at a stark, white wall; that day may or may never come, but we can feel comfort in knowing that should such a film ever arrive, it will be sharp, hilarious, and entomb a trenchant historical inquiry pertaining to Romania’s revolutionary and Communist past. At least, this would conceivably be the case should Corneliu Porumboiu be behind the picture; if The Treasure is any indication, there may be no act too banal for him to turn into cinema gold, no narrative too thin or simple to have extracted from it a wealth of macro and micro details.
Simply put, this is a film set in modern day Bucharest in which two men, Costi (Cuzin Toma) and Adrian (Adrian Purcarescu), engage in a search for a...
- 1/4/2016
- by Blake Williams
- IONCINEMA.com
The Treasure Movie Trailer. Corneliu Porumboiu‘s The Treasure (2015) movie trailer stars Toma Cuzin, Adrian Purcarescu and Corneliu Cozmei. The Treasure‘s plot synopsis: “Costi leads a peaceful life. At night he likes to read his 6-year-old son stories, to help him sleep. Their favourite is Robin Hood. Costi sees himself as the hero – righter of wrongs and defender of […]...
- 12/15/2015
- by Marco Margaritoff
- Film-Book
"There's something big here." IFC Films has debuted the new official Us trailer for Romanian filmmaker Corneliu Porumboiu's latest feature The Treasure. Porumboiu is most well known for his award-winning films 12:08 East of Bucharest and Police, Adjective, and this time takes on small time adventure when a peaceful man becomes obsessed with treasure buried in his garden. The film stars Toma Cuzin, Adrian Purcarescu, and Corneliu Cozmei. It premiered Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival and won the "A Certain Talent Prize" for the masterful narration. It seems to have a unique dead pan vibe with some wacky things going on in this man's pursuit for treasure, which seems to be more about his own happiness. Here's the official Us trailer for Corneliu Porumboiu's The Treasure, on YouTube (via The Film Stage): Costi (33) leads a peaceful life. At night he likes to read his 6-year-old son stories,...
- 12/11/2015
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
While his films may not get the widest of distribution here in the United States, Corneliu Porumboiu is a key figure in the Romanian New Wave with films like When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism, Police, Adjective, and 12:08 East of Bucharest. His latest feature, The Treasure, premiered at Cannes earlier this year and thankfully we don’t have to wait as long to see it as some of his other films. Ahead of a January release, the first trailer has now arrived, giving us a glimpse at the story which finds a father on a search for loot in his backyard.
We said in our review, “Though regularly grouped with the directors that comprise the Romanian New Wave, Corneliu Porumboiu’s brand of social realism is all his own. Dispensing with the shaky cam so popular amongst his peers, his fictional features capture the world through contemplative long takes,...
We said in our review, “Though regularly grouped with the directors that comprise the Romanian New Wave, Corneliu Porumboiu’s brand of social realism is all his own. Dispensing with the shaky cam so popular amongst his peers, his fictional features capture the world through contemplative long takes,...
- 12/11/2015
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
For those who are big fans of Romania's recent cinematic renaissance, Corneliu Porumboiu is major. He's the director behind the lauded likes of "12:08 East Of Bucharest," "Police, Adjective" and "When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism," and his latest "The Treasure" is receiving equivalent plaudits. Today we've debuting the U.S. trailer and poster for the film. Read More: New Romanian Cinema Review: Slim, Sly & Funny '12:08 East Of Bucharest' Starring Cuzin Toma, Adrian Purcarescu, Corneliu Cozmei, Cristina Toma, and Nicodim Toma, the movie centers on two neighbors whose decision to unearth some treasure takes them on a surreal and comic adventure. Here's the official synopsis: Costi leads a peaceful life. At night he likes to read his 6-year-old son stories to help him sleep. Their favorite is Robin Hood. Costi sees himself as the hero —righter of wrongs and defender of the oppressed. One evening, his neighbor pays.
- 12/10/2015
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
The American Film Institute announced today the films that will screen in the World Cinema, Breakthrough, Midnight, Shorts and Cinema’s Legacy programs at AFI Fest 2015 presented by Audi.
AFI Fest will take place November 5 – 12, 2015, in the heart of Hollywood. Screenings, Galas and events will be held at the historic Tcl Chinese Theatre, the Tcl Chinese 6 Theatres, Dolby Theatre, the Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the Egyptian, the El Capitan Theatre and The Hollywood Roosevelt.
World Cinema showcases the most acclaimed international films of the year; Breakthrough highlights true discoveries of the programming process; Midnight selections will grip audiences with terror; and Cinema’s Legacy highlights classic movies and films about cinema. World Cinema and Breakthrough selections are among the films eligible for Audience Awards. Shorts selections are eligible for the Grand Jury Prize, which qualifies the winner for Academy Award®consideration. This year’s Shorts jury features filmmaker Janicza Bravo,...
AFI Fest will take place November 5 – 12, 2015, in the heart of Hollywood. Screenings, Galas and events will be held at the historic Tcl Chinese Theatre, the Tcl Chinese 6 Theatres, Dolby Theatre, the Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the Egyptian, the El Capitan Theatre and The Hollywood Roosevelt.
World Cinema showcases the most acclaimed international films of the year; Breakthrough highlights true discoveries of the programming process; Midnight selections will grip audiences with terror; and Cinema’s Legacy highlights classic movies and films about cinema. World Cinema and Breakthrough selections are among the films eligible for Audience Awards. Shorts selections are eligible for the Grand Jury Prize, which qualifies the winner for Academy Award®consideration. This year’s Shorts jury features filmmaker Janicza Bravo,...
- 10/22/2015
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies, starring Tom Hanks, will make its World Premiere at the 53rd New York International Film Festival, running from September 25 to October 11. The film was one of 26 announced as part of the festival’s main slate, along with one of four World Premieres.
Some of the main slate highlights include Todd Haynes’s Carol, featuring Cannes Best Actress Winner Rooney Mara alongside Cate Blanchett, Miguel Gomes’s three part saga Arabian Nights, Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s The Assassin, the Us premiere of Michael Moore’s latest Where to Invade Next, Michel Gondry’s French film Microbe et Gasoil, and the World Premiere of the documentary Don’t Blink: Robert Frank, about the life of the fames photographer and filmmaker.
Previously announced films include the World Premiere of The Walk, Robert Zemeckis’s Philippe Petit biopic serving as the opening night film, the World Premiere of...
Some of the main slate highlights include Todd Haynes’s Carol, featuring Cannes Best Actress Winner Rooney Mara alongside Cate Blanchett, Miguel Gomes’s three part saga Arabian Nights, Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s The Assassin, the Us premiere of Michael Moore’s latest Where to Invade Next, Michel Gondry’s French film Microbe et Gasoil, and the World Premiere of the documentary Don’t Blink: Robert Frank, about the life of the fames photographer and filmmaker.
Previously announced films include the World Premiere of The Walk, Robert Zemeckis’s Philippe Petit biopic serving as the opening night film, the World Premiere of...
- 8/13/2015
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
Who knew that watching films can be this exhausting? The first thing any press person at Cannes will tell you is probably how tiring festival grind is – press screenings from 8.30 am till midnight, endless queueing sessions (variously put to use for writing up or sun-tanning), the adrenaline rush of the literal rush to the next screening.
What few filmmakers premiering their work at Cannes seem to realise – based on the average two-hour run of the majority of films this year – is that at a film viewing marathon such as Cannes, critics’ attention is yours during the first hour and twenty minutes and then you’d better start getting ready for a wow of an ending. The editor is your friend and if you want the press to be a friend too, it’s good to shed extraneous long-windedness and not irk the critics – unless you are Miguel Gomes, then you can go on forever…...
What few filmmakers premiering their work at Cannes seem to realise – based on the average two-hour run of the majority of films this year – is that at a film viewing marathon such as Cannes, critics’ attention is yours during the first hour and twenty minutes and then you’d better start getting ready for a wow of an ending. The editor is your friend and if you want the press to be a friend too, it’s good to shed extraneous long-windedness and not irk the critics – unless you are Miguel Gomes, then you can go on forever…...
- 5/27/2015
- by Zornitsa Staneva
- SoundOnSight
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