October was the month which brought to the lucky Romanian public no less than two (different!) domestic films: the oh-so incredibly bad Orient Express and Italiencele, the latter directed by one Napoleon Helmis. Maybe it's just me and my own sensibility, but such a name strikes me as very odd. I've yet to get to the bottom of this mysterious identity, but this work of his is definitely worth a few words.
I don't tend to lower my standards for no movie, be it Romanian or else. Actually, I imagine exactly the opposite happens when I watch a home production, because it reflects the image of a society of which I myself am - more or less - part of. Image is a very powerful thing.
But let's get down to the film.
Spoilers
It would be best described by saying that it starts of like a bomb and reaches the finish line as a snail, even though the thematic is reasonably interesting: the search for a better life and what might happen while taking a shortcut. Quite a few people have left the country after the Revolution in '89, but I don't recall any boom as significant as the "working abroad as gatherers" boom. Gathering what, you may well ask. Well, gathering cherries, strawberries, oranges, and anything else you may consider gatherable. I suppose it's a more productive affair, than many other around here. Of course, the main issue here is still the shortcut. That the two main characters have a rather harsh and unpleasant encounter with the way things sometimes work is fairly predictable from the start. The old saying "It's not about getting there, it's about how you get there" proves to be fundamentally wrong in a rather shattering experience.
But! There's a catch. I don't know how someone may view the film as an outsider. However, I myself, as an "insider", found the whole story and experience a bit awkward to sit through. The script was at best mediocre and such a fact holds the film back dramatically. Moreover, acting continues to suffer to the same undetermined disease, but an antidote might be on its way. Helmis, on the other hand, delivered some handy craftwork and imposed - at times - a lively rhythm. He's someone who we mustn't turn away from just yet.
"Italiencele" is a nearly worthy film, but not quite. It's the viewer's task to decided if he throws it to the garbage can, or not. 6/10
I don't tend to lower my standards for no movie, be it Romanian or else. Actually, I imagine exactly the opposite happens when I watch a home production, because it reflects the image of a society of which I myself am - more or less - part of. Image is a very powerful thing.
But let's get down to the film.
Spoilers
It would be best described by saying that it starts of like a bomb and reaches the finish line as a snail, even though the thematic is reasonably interesting: the search for a better life and what might happen while taking a shortcut. Quite a few people have left the country after the Revolution in '89, but I don't recall any boom as significant as the "working abroad as gatherers" boom. Gathering what, you may well ask. Well, gathering cherries, strawberries, oranges, and anything else you may consider gatherable. I suppose it's a more productive affair, than many other around here. Of course, the main issue here is still the shortcut. That the two main characters have a rather harsh and unpleasant encounter with the way things sometimes work is fairly predictable from the start. The old saying "It's not about getting there, it's about how you get there" proves to be fundamentally wrong in a rather shattering experience.
But! There's a catch. I don't know how someone may view the film as an outsider. However, I myself, as an "insider", found the whole story and experience a bit awkward to sit through. The script was at best mediocre and such a fact holds the film back dramatically. Moreover, acting continues to suffer to the same undetermined disease, but an antidote might be on its way. Helmis, on the other hand, delivered some handy craftwork and imposed - at times - a lively rhythm. He's someone who we mustn't turn away from just yet.
"Italiencele" is a nearly worthy film, but not quite. It's the viewer's task to decided if he throws it to the garbage can, or not. 6/10
