Thalassa, Thalassa! Return to the Sea (1994) User Reviews

Not your ordinary road movie

[vic-232 · 8/10 · 2 May 2008]

In this very unusual film, a group of young boys (and one girl) find and steal a Jaguar convertible, and decide to drive to the sea. What starts out as a lark deteriorates into a rather grueling journey.

From the opening scenes, one might think this were a children's movie. It isn't. Writer/director Bogdan Dumitrescu intends to tell us about human nature, and he apparently sees more darkness than light. The children behave like children, but they also are essential human beings, unencumbered by the restraints of authority and socialization. Happily, though, Dumitrescu does not rub symbolism in our faces. If all you want is a naturalistic, emotionally engaging narrative, "Thalassa, Thalassa" will fill the bill.

The young cast, none of whom looks more than 11 years old, is excellent.

Okay character study

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 11 February 2017]

"Thalassa, Thalassa" or "Thalassa, Thalassa! Return to the Sea" is a co-production between Germany and Romania that resulted in a German-language movie from 1994. At least according to IMDb. The version i watched had the cast speak (almost) entirely Romanian and looking at the characters' names, this seems to be more likely. Also the director Bogdan Dumitrescu is Romanian and this movie here that runs for slightly under 90 minutes is a contender for his most known work. The story here is very simple, but maybe simple is good in this context. It is about a group of boys plus one girl who drive away with a car and try to make it to the sea. Many struggles and conflicts wait for them on their way, so you can certainly call it a road movie, maybe even a coming-of-age movie. It is pretty essential you have subtitles for this one as the way the kids talk is frequently more like screaming than talking, so it's impossible to understand probably unless you are a Romanian native speaker. I would not say that any of the kids really stood out in terms of character or performance (maybe the girl because she is the only one), but the entire thing is really an ensemble cast performance and I believe Dumitrescu got solid performances out of everybody here, which is fairly impressive as none of the kids really had any acting experience before starring in this one. And basically all of these also never returned to acting after this movie and pursued "normal" careers. Anyway, with the story and plot I can somehow see how awards bodies would like it and I am not surprised it received some awards attention, even if it's really nothing too big and the film also was not selected to be submitted to the Oscars or so. But as the kids sink back into the ocean, the audience is well-entertained. I recommend checking it out.

Remarkable film about a mischievous few kids; or alternatively, how not to treat a Jaguar.

[KobusAdAstra · 8/10 · 27 November 2015]

I discovered this unknown film by accident. And what a pleasant surprise it was.

The film echoes themes of landmark productions such as 'The Lord of the Flies', and that says a lot!

A few Rumanian youngsters indulge in a little bit more than innocent mischief. They steal a luxury Jaguar convertible and decide to travel to the coast. In scenes of joyful abandonment they nearly wreck the car, get drunk on liquor they found in the car and survive some jealousy and internal strife. Almost.

The kids run the show; the only adult shown was at the beginning of the film. The film is full of unexpected twists and turns with more than a few laughs. Yet, it is also sad and even shocking at times.

The cinematography is good, so too the subtitles and soundtrack. It was particularly the acting by the young, non-professional cast that impressed. This is a film I will watch again.

'LORD OF THE FLIES' TAKES A ROAD TRIP

[richardkassir · 7/10 · 24 March 2021]

This is an excellent film that has a wonderfully original take on the 'Road Movie' genre. I believe, this film's concept and realisation could only have been made in Europe. The movie gives the appearance that it works outside of the confines of a set script, because its construct is to simply follow and observe a group of young children on a road trip to see the sea. I say simple, of course it's really the opposite as their reactions to situations and their changing relationships with each other are full of detailed nuances.

This is the story of a group of young kids of varying ages from around 7 to 13 who live in poverty in the dusty Romanian countryside. One day they explore a large metal container that has been dumped on waste ground and find a car inside which is in full working order. It becomes clear when the kids explore the contents of the boot that the car must have belonged to some sort of gangster caught trying to make his/her escape. The children decide on the spur of the moment to use this car to take a drive to see the sea. What follows is an extraordinary film that observes these kids as they slowly make their way across dirt roads in the rough direction of the coast.

IMDB describes 'Thalassa Thalassa' as a 'family drama comedy'. I can only agree with the 'drama' tag. There are amusing moments in the way the children behave towards each other and their circumstances, but the humour is outweighed by the drama of their situation which is more desperate than they have the ability to realise. similarly, there is no way it could be described as a family film as, along the way, two of the children go missing presumed dead and the fate of all of them is unsure. It is, however an absorbing clever and gripping film that should not be missed.