Boogie

I regret wasting two hours of my life with this film. Plot-wise, it is utterly pointless, Dragos Bucur's unconvincing struggle with his midlife crisis managed only to annoy the hell out of me. Frankly, it was so bad that it became uncomfortable to watch and I even considered walking out of the theatre, but I endured eventually. Also, from a technical point of view, this film is the perfect example of a standard Romanian production. Sound quality and cinematography are ridiculous. The background noises manage to drown half of the lines (not that one misses much wit there). Everything that could go wrong in a typically Romanian film goes wrong. There is really no point in seeing this for yourself, save two hours of your life and watch something else.

'Summer Holiday' follows the format audiences have come to expect from new-wave Romanian cinema - long scenes with fine actors using improvised dialog, filmed in wide shots by hand-held camera. The story unfolds over fifteen or so hours in a chilly coastal resort where 30-something Boogie is spending a few days Spring vacation with his pregnant wife, Smaranda and their young son. He runs into some old friends who persuade him to join them for a drink, and the evening leads to an opportunity for Boogie to misbehave. The film's shortcomings are apparent in the first scene on the beach where Boogie hectors his son for poor sand-castle construction skills and bickers with Smaranda - it's repetitive, lasts too long, and the characters are not particularly engaging. These flaws reappear in too many of the subsequent scenes where the actors portray the petty selfishness, irresponsibility and banality of contemporary life.

Even though the talented cast deliver authentic performances, the story and characters lack sufficient substance to make their efforts truly compelling. Despite the presence of Anamaria Marinca, who was so outstanding in 'Four Months, Three Weeks, Two Days', 'Summer Holiday' falls a long way short of the originality and intensity of the earlier film.

conquest of past, summer, the search of happiness, a family, two friends. a special Romanian film for its profound honesty. nothing need to demonstrate, nothing useful for convince. only a story about few people and ordinaries experience. at first sigh, a film about nothing. and that is its great virtue. because decade by decade the Romanian cinema was victim of a specific thesis. under communism - political thesis. after 1990 - social demonstration. Boogie has the rare gift to not be vehicle for any form of propaganda. it is only the honest portrait of a family in holiday. few good young actors. a smart script. decent performances. a story without high ambitions. that is its great virtue. and the difference by a cinema lost in different demonstration's forms.

It's no exaggeration that "Boogie" could be considered, up to a certain point, a Romanian twinner of "American Beauty" - it's the same kind of drama, within its specific frame for early-middle-aged people. The characters here are in their early thirties; one could easily imagine that the incipient problems they are facing now will evolve into the full-blown tragedy acted by Kevin Spacey and Annette Benning.

Fact is that Radu Muntean's movie is not only deep and grave, but masterfully made. Same as in his previous two works, Radu proves again that he has a very precise and powerful feeling of the camera lens, picking in the most discreet way exactly those details and angles that serve to build-up the tension. The paradox here is that, although nothing spectacular is happening, the inner stress of the situation builds-up to almost unbearable levels. An important role is played by the several-minutes-long shots, patiently depicting the slow-paced actions and dialogs, with the surprising result of a very intense load of anxiety and apprehension getting pent-up.

Definitely, "Boogie" is carrying forth the well-fated New Generation in Romanian cinema!

This movie you either like all the way to the end - or you dislike entirely. This will explain some of the most-favorable comments, but also some of the opinions against it. There's no middle way - either you're into this type of movies, or not. The amateurs for action, rough scenes, twisted plots and stuff like that will be left unsatisfied. The action is slow - however, the dialogue and the acting are extremely intelligent and well-performed. I know the Western viewer is not familiar with this type of cinema, and may not like it. In a way, you have to be a Romanian to like it. However, I'd like to think for myself that is because of movies like these that I believe again in the fate of Romanian cinema. Movies like "Hartia va fi albastra", "Patru luni, trei saptamini..." and now "Boogie" give me great hope. Great actors, great movie, awesome experience. Highly recommended.