Okzident

Lucian is a 29 year old botanist whose financial security is threatened after his job gets cut. After finding himself evicted from his old apartment, his practical girlfriend is unwilling to accept his proposition to move in with his elderly aunt and himself and starts seeking solace in the company of an older foreigner about to return to France. Mihaela is a 24 year old romantic idealist and aspiring poetess who after being stood up at the altar has to reluctantly accept her willful mother's attempts at finding her a well-off foreigner suitor. "The colonel", a retiring police officer and Mihaela's father is approached by a Romanian expat to assist with breaking the news of the death of one of his friends, all the while trying to avert his daughter's ill-suited wooer.

The three stories in the film, although clearly delineated, are closely intertwined and interdependent, and its strings often blend seamlessly and fluently into one another. Showing signs of Kieslowski (imagery), Tarr (multi-perspective narrative structure) and Wong (theme of failed connections and longing), "Occident" holds a strong grip and deliberate pace on its three plots, gradually revealing more layers of each of its three protagonists, and often amending previously shown events through its crafty fragmented narrative.

Cristian Mungiu's first feature directorial effort paints a bittersweet picture on the transitional period of Romania a decade after the fall of the communist regime, most acutely marked by the large-scale brain-drain occurring after the late 90s recession. Frequently underscored by a popular local hit from the 70s, "Noi in anul 2000" ("We, in the year 2000"), whose youthful, innocently hopeful lyrics create a feeling of melancholy and forlornness when contrasted with the bleakness and ennui of contemporary adulthood in Romania, the film approaches themes of chance, displacement and longing. Allured by the mirage of an idealized West full of opportunity for a better life, the characters in the film are in pursuit of an ever elusive happiness, narrowly missing their chance and failing to reach a meaningful connection.

I really liked this movie, I laughed most part of it, although it isn't a real comedy, but rather a drama. Yet, Ioan Gyuri Pascu makes a really funny role as the typical friend, neighbour and jack of all trades. All in all, the movie's charm is based on the way we get various pieces of information during each of its episodes, and we make up a story of our own, only to discover in the next episode of the film that it wasn't entirely true; most like in "Memento", or "Pulp Fiction", but in a stronger way, as we have here more different stories to follow, mix and clue together (similar to "E pericoloso sporgersi). Each episode shows us the same line of action, but with other details each time. The various pieces of information link one with the other only to show us that we are much too used to drawing conclusions of our own, without waiting to hear the narrator's. If you have the opportunity, go watch the movie. Although it is funnier for romanian people, the more likely to get the jokes and irony regarding everyday's life, it is entertaining as well for foreigners, due to the simple and amusing stories. "Occident" is riding the same wave as "Filantropica"; we hope to see some more good romanian cinema in the future as witty, ironic, sparkling and amusing as those ones.

A beautiful story about time, coincidences and happenstance. Three stories intertwine and characters influence one another's life without ever knowing it. Excellent and convincing performances from both veteran actors and newcomers. Even though it made me laugh a lot, after I finished watching it didn't taste like a comedy, but more like a sad love story. And even though love doesn't conquer all (love between man and woman, love between friends, love for one's country), the story doesn't feel hopeless and bleak, not even once. A must-see for anyone interested in Eastern European productions.

PS: The version I saw had English subtitles, but they were sometimes incomplete and a couple of times rather badly translated. I felt they didn't do their best to do justice to the lines.

I never expected a Romanian film to be so "occidental"!

Yes, I'm a young movie fan, but Romanian films (or at least those that I've seen) just have that characteristic awkwardness which make them look like second-class movies.

Well, Occident is different. It's radically different. It's different even from those American movies which had set the standards, but up to par with any of them.

Occident is strongly non-linear, and you wonder whether the familiar scene you're seeing is a similar one or a remembrance. Occident is fascinating, intriguing, even mind-boggling, and it doesn't make use of any Romania-specific jokes. So, if you're not Romanian, it's no problem. Occident is universal. And, quite a rare thing, Occident is worth seeing again. And again. And again.

like many films of new Romanian wave, it is a picture. picture of a country.reflections of a people existence. a film about price of basic things and nuances of feelings. about meetings, expectations, hope and values. so, a kind of window. nothing more. it is difficult to write a review about this part of a not small chain. because it is not beautiful or impressive or sad. it is not a subject of meditation or basket with nice images. it is only little piece from a broken reality. gray, cruel, without profound sense, passive, prey of a form of Bovarism. nothing more. a game with nuances in which words are bones of silence. a testimony. like many others Romanian films. and search of beginning. or only drawing of them.