Ein unvergesslicher Sommer

Ete packs a great deal of moral and ethical examination into its 82 minutes. The language bounces around between French, English, Romanian and some Bulgarian and I think this adds to its charm. Beautifully acted by both Kristin Scott Thomas and Claudiu Bleont. Lucian Pintilie is a brilliant director and screenwriter -- he deserves more exposure than he gets. Very strong film!

The movie depicts the atrocities committed against Bulgarian peasants by the Romanian authorities after reconquering Southern Dobrogea at the end of World War I. Petre Dimitriu, a young army captain heads the local garrison and attempts in vain to prevent the killings. It is difficult to understand why Lucian Pintilie chose an obscure short-story, published in the early 1950s as subject for his film. The author, Petre Dimitriu, was at that time a young writer aspiring for recognition by the communist regime. The autobiographical story tries at the same time to vilify the former regime and to prove that the authors father had dissociated himself from that regime. The story was intended to reinforce the author's credentials and to help him become an aclaimed communist writer before his defection to the West. Lucian Pintilie's direction was not able to annihilate the political background of the story. Therefore, despite its qualities, the film rings like an anachronic revival of the socialist realism of the 1950s.

First, a honest picture of real , profound bitter realities . Lucian Pintilie genius. Kristin Scott Thomas performance. And the feeling about the land, people, cruelty and wrong decisions, profound dilemas and courage. A film about silence and fake refuges. And about the pride of a man, the love for her husband of a woman, the victims of politic illusions and the fall of a world. All presented in superb manner.

The director manages to pack a lot of local color and drama into a spare 82 minutes. The costumes and scenery are gorgeous, and the acting is superb. And the story itself is both poignant and uplifting. A romantic drama in the Ayn Rand tradition.

Those who have seen films by Lucian Pintilie, one of the greatest directors in the history of Romanian cinema, would find it easy to detect his unflinching sympathy for the underdogs. Beginning with "Reconstitution" (1968) until "Niki and Flo"(2003),all his films are about brave people who are able to wriggle out of tough problems solely through their tenacity. One of Lucian Pintilie's more internationally acclaimed films, "An Unforgettable Summer" draws viewers' attention towards the ignominious persecution of ordinary, innocent Bulgarian workers by some bad elements of Romanian army. Its wickedness is shown solely from the point of view of a person whose parents' lives were shattered beyond recognition during a turbulent summer when a group of mean Romanian army personnel punished everybody who was not on their side. One should not be shocked to see that some Romanian army officers were depicted not only as philanderers but also as enemies of humanity. It is amidst such a morass that an honest army officer and his wife emerge victorious as they are able to overcome their ethical dilemma by choosing the path to justness. Although "An Unforgettable Summer" is not a philosophical film per se, Lucian Pintilie's film does succeed in highlighting the message that one man's "arbitrary logic" might lead another man to be despondent to such an extent to even contemplate suicide.