Octav

a beautiful film. like a box covered by silk paper. but this box seems be empty. the film has a lot of virtues. the cast is one of them. it has inspired music, seductive cinematography, a good name director. and one of stories who, at the first rumor, seems more than interesting. but something missing. or sound fake. or it is too well known from other films . "Wild Strawberries" is the best example. and only great virtue is a trip of viewer across his childhood memories. not bad but the feeling is than the director make this film in memory of his father. an admirable gesture. but this seems, maybe only for me, the only purpose. a form of reconciliation with the past. so, a return, a house, memories and the lost great past. and nothing more.

What a pity that big actors like Iures and Rebengiuc have accepted to play in this movie. The image is interesting, the actors are known to be very good, but the lines are so dull, that it s hard to watch it to the end.

Background: An estate in Romania where a wealthy family with a young son, Octav, lived until the late '40s when the USSR led communist government took over the property. Fast forward to nearly the present as that young boy now in his early '80s is essentially broke as he goes though appeals in the court system to regain the property. He comes back to sell this memory to pay off debts, and in the process meets the estate's caretaker that he knew as a boy. Importantly, memories in the form of flashbacks, especially of his father & also of a young girl, alternate w/the reality of the moment. Left unanswered (perhaps purposefully so as to not distract from the central story): Where he & others were in the intervening years. The house is full of antiquities, oddly in pristine condition, which could be sold to pay off his debts.

Slow, beautiful, emotional and almost painful... What is really remarkable in this movie is that it is a powerful trigger for your own memories. You are watching and waiting for the plot to unfold, but instead, your own life will be on the screen. You will see your childhood home, your friends, your first love, your first kiss, your friends, the backyard, the street where you were playing and so on. I have never experienced something like that in a movie theater. Beautiful! Beautiful and unique.

Rarely it happens for me to be amazed and even less to get to that point when I (almost) cry.

This movie did it. Sent me back directly to my childhood and took me in a fantastic journey trough some blurry yet shiny and sublime memories.

Yes, this movie is not for everyone and is not a movie to watch but rather feel. Also is probably best understood by a native Romanian speaker although probably it won't matter that much. However, once you have had those kind of memories, a movie like this can only work like a catalys and boost everything to sublime. I'm not overstating it. This film is a masterpiece, played masterfully by some of the best actors I know with a beautifully made cinematography and an extremely touching story. A masterpiece, indeed.