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Dana and Arthur are a married couple in their forties whose relationship is at a crossroads. Facing pressure from a society and family that seems to love them together, they’re also driven by desires that are pushing them apart. On one fateful day, the two have to decide if the biggest proof of their love is finally letting go.

“Monsters.” is the feature directorial debut of Marius Olteanu, who also wrote the script. Starring Cristian Popa and Judith State, it world premiered in the Berlin Film Festival’s Forum section, and played this week at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. The film is produced by Parada Film in co-production with We Are Basca, with the support of the Romanian Film Center, in collaboration with the Romanian public broadcaster Tvr. International sales are handled by Alpha Violet.

Olteanu spoke with Variety about the complex ties that bind married couples, the...

“The trick is to keep breathing,” says Dana (Judith State) as she takes a drag off the first cigarette she’s had in years, grinding it out after a couple of puffs. It feels somewhat inevitable she’d relent and take one, as they’re constantly offered to her by the Bucharest taxi driver (Alexandru Potocean) whom she has mysteriously engaged for the whole night. Smoking is one of the things you do on a stakeout, after all, and how else would you describe hanging out outside your own apartment building with a stranger, looking up at its darkened windows? Romanian director Marius Olteanu’s “Monsters.” is a remarkable debut — wise, compassionate, surprising — about a couple staking out their own slowly imploding marriage like it’s a partially dismantled apartment with no one home.

Divided cleanly into three segments and taking place over the course of 24 hours, the film is...