Buna! Ce faci?

Gabriel and Gabriela are a 40ish couple with a seventeen year old son, living a mundane and passionless existence, in modern day Romania. They coexist, each just going through the motions of a marriage with no meaning left in it. One night, without knowing it, each of them wind up in the same chat room on the internet, conversing with a supposed stranger. Day after day, the two grow more and more comfortable in the anonymity of cyberspace, and believe that they are falling in love with each other. Gabriela goes to work as a dry cleaner and Gabriel is a page turner for an orchestra. Meanwhile, their son, Vladimir narrates the story, which includes his frequent and funny sexual escapades with fellow young and willing classmates. He reminded me of Dustin Hoffman's Benjamin in "The Graduate." The three leads of this nuclear family are excellent; they seem to be a real family struggling to get by each day, and in the end I wished for a happy ending. A very impressive comedy-drama.

"Hello! How are you?" deals with several main topics - growing up of a teenager, crisis of middle-aged people, boredom in marriage, unfulfilled dreams and desire. Although the topics suggest a serious drama, the film is actually a romantic comedy, the type that really deserved my thumbs up. During the second half, I was a little afraid that it would turn to clichés, such as we often see in Hollywood blockbusters, but luckily, this was not the case here.

The story is not predictable, it seems realistic and it brings eastern European atmosphere in a positive and jolly way. The characters are vivid, the actors excellent in portraying them (both the leading and supporting roles), the direction is superb, with many unexpected scene details and surprising elements you discover gradually.

I suppose that most comedy lovers would enjoy the film the same as I did, and as did the audience at Vukovar Film Festival 2011. There were many scenes that made everyone burst out laughing. It's one of the films that simply makes you feel good after seeing it.

a real, real special film. among the Romanian movies from the last decade. because it propose the poetry of the small things. because it is honest portrait of marriage and teenager life and desire of small, comfortable happiness. because it has the perfect script, director and actors. because it is a happy exception from the long chain of dark- bitter dramas about post - communist Romanian society. its humor, its naivety, the rebellious teenager, the discover of chat and the emotions of late love for the man/wife, the scenes opposing the parents like children and the dreams of theirs boy, the delicacy to tell a story who becomes a pastel portrait or an early spring morning are virtues of a profound beautiful film. and, sure the definition of a form of not ordinary romanticism.

They never want to learn. Background music always too loud and you have to struggle to hear what they're saying. Romanian films always had this problem and they still don't want to/can't improve. Just awful. As per the movie itself, not too bad, but the terrible sound just makes it annoying.

"Buna! Ce faci?" is an honest and jolly film, slightly tendered with melancholy. It treats the theme of love reflected in the life of a long- married couple that has a rebellious teenager son.

I also salute the poster of the film, with its vintage-design and its capacity to slightly introduce the viewer to a world of love, indifference and self- finding, regardless the age, ideas that reflect themselves in a well-handled and well written script. Thumbs up to the casting and settings, as well.

All in all, I recommend this film and I wish we (the Romanians) produce more and more such romantic comedies.