User reviews

The film is a parable of Romania under Ceausescu, and most of the filming was carried out at the "House of People". It presents an oppressive climate of a society ranked on different levels in a hotel, so the story is basically a parable. The story follows the promotion of Alex, from the position of young employee to the manager of the hotel. His mother tells Alex, presumably a former member of the State Security, that he is the son of the tyrant who is at the head of the country. Named head of the hotel ("the country"), Alex receives a mandate to inform the dictator that the hotel is subjugated by hunger, cold and lies. You'll find out at the end if Alex was able or not to complete his mission. It's very difficult to watch this movie, 95% of the time being filmed in dark places. Better be warned, don't waste your time watching it. Or even better, I recommend you forget this movie exists, move along, there's nothing here to see.

I saw , in the "90 s, this film as a sort of exorcism. A parable becoming a form of hunt against the shadows of recent past. And it is that. But, after more than two decades,it remains only a cry. A large parable about power and dictatorship and need of freedom and slices of Kafkaiesque universe as parts of performances. Today, it is easy to say than it is not the most inspired films of Dan Pita. Chaotic, biyarre, almost improvisation under the pressure of angry. But it is just a definition of freedom in early "90 s. Grotesque, strange, chaotic. But useful as reflection of a state . Present too, after 29 years of freedom, in Romanian society. Seeing again, I discover it as a film for Romanians only. As a warning and a testimony. The beautiful performance of Valentin Popescu. The force of the craft for create his role from Stefan Iordache. And, sure, the lead character - Casa Poporului.