Balanta

This is the opposite of a Hollywood movie. This is a piece of reality and there is nothing glamorous about it. That's what makes "The Oak" a great movie, an experience to remember.

I am Romanian and I avoided this movie when I was in Romania, because of its subject. Last weekend, I found it in a video store in Seattle and I had to rent it. I am very glad I did and recommend it to all the European film lovers. It will give you an idea (in case you didn't experience it yourself) of what living under the communism meant, with all the pain, frustration and the happier moments.

The second Pintilie movie I have seen recently (thanks to Duna TV) and even better than the previous one (O Vara de neuitat): a great movie indeed! This is the Romanian version of Kusturica's Underground, or perhaps I should I say the opposite, since Balanta is actually an earlier piece. The fast-paced, furious story packed with bitter irony and surrealistic moments (well, the closer you live to the country, the less surrealistic they are: comments from people living in Ceausescu's Romania state that the film has nothing "unreal" in it) captures the essence of one of the darker dictatorships of the former Communist Bloc, where the harshness of oppression is softened only by the corruption of the society. Just like Kusturica in Underground, Pintilie presents a very critical picture of the society but at the same time he clearly shows his sympathy towards his suffering but talented and charming nation. All in all: stunning pictures, perfect acting and shocking scenes combine in Balanta for a perfect piece of cinema.

I' give'it a ten because character Mitica is based on a real life person that happens to be my father(not biological but the person who raised me). My father is a urological surgeon that never took money from his patients (I know sounds unrealistic especially for Romania, but is true). One of his patients was Ion Baiesu, who was really impressed by him so he wrote the short novel "thirty-eight point two" and dedicated him. Also the movie "Mere Rosii" (red apples) is about my father.

If you want to know more just e-mail me at Whitenight2mw on yahoo.

Soryy if my grammar isn't so good.

At the time I read the book the film is based on, it was a reflection of the reality surrounding us, in Romania, therefore after the first print it was banned by the Ceausescu's communist regime. As time went by, I emigrated in the US, and seen the movie 10 years after I've read the book and although the movie supposedly is a fiction, it played like a documentary in front of my eyes. It is hard, as a Romanian, to disconnect from my personal experiences, but if anybody is interested in what the communism in Romania was like, this movie is the way to find out. The tragic and the comedy are coming together to weave the fabric of a society so sick, that life becomes surreal. For my money this is a great movie, the fresco of a society governed by rules unknown to civilization.

Society has always been depraved and almost worthless in its general aspects. Now, to look at how people behave during a detention-like state is even more interesting, which swiftly brings me to the following affirmation: living under a dictatorship draws a clear distinction between the elite and the rest. It elevates true values, which unfortunately have to be kept under secrecy due to the paranoid mentality of the government. But the beauty of it, the absolute splendor is to see how these courageous people come together, despite having to sacrifice and risk a lot. I suppose people with similar traits are drawn to one another out of pure instinct.

"Balanta" portrays the destiny of two people who daringly oppose the regime, not for their own fate, but for the fate of those around them who deserve it. Their brave madness is shockingly amusing and thrives within the viewer. Even though playing against the rules can be very tricky, if done according to the (unwritten) book, it can prove extremely rewarding, especially for the spirit. Despite its sometimes eye-brow raising dialogue, Maia Morgenstern and Razvan Vasilescu scratch up reasonably good and humorous performances, pumping adrenaline into the film itself.

The movie is an awe-inspiring tribute to those who could(can) simply not adapt to the nearly psychotic way of life lead by many under totalitarian regimes. Pintile cleverly points out the discrepancies between "actual" normality and the state of things during times when normal becomes strangely unfamiliar. "Balanta" is a worthy picture, especially given its controversial nature.