Tache

I just watched "Tache" last night on TV. The premise of the movie foreshadowed a black comedy but it wasn't the case. "Tache" lacks the cruelty of this kind of movies, instead being very ironic about the strange ways of life ... and death. After a life in dirt , gravedigger Tache puts all his efforts into leaving this world in glory ,with a sumptuous funeral by which he will be remembered in his small town. The situations created are hilarious , Mircea Diaconu making a great role comparable with the ones in "Filantropica" or "Asphalt Tango". The movie is very fresh and the characters very natural so if you want a movie that looks death in the eye and makes fun of it then you shouldn't miss this one.

A Romanian TV film crafted by Mara Nicolescu and helmed by Igor Cobileanski tells a captivating tale that explores mortality and the human experience through the eyes of its main character, Tache. With a brief runtime of just 1 hour and 16 minutes, the film follows a 61-year-old gravedigger who faces the reality of his own death, all while aiming to exit this world with a bit of flair!

The story is both introspective and thought-provoking as Tache goes about his daily life at the "Rest of All" cemetery, a place where he's all too familiar with death. The film cleverly balances the serious nature of his job with moments of dark humor and genuine humanity, allowing viewers to connect with Tache on a surprisingly deeper level. His acceptance of death, shaped by his experiences in his line of work, offers a poignant reflection on life and the certainty of mortality.

While Igor Cobileanski's direction brings a subtle visual style to the film, it doesn't quite amplify the emotional depth of the narrative. The cinematography features muted colors that create a rather dull atmosphere, but thankfully, the vibrant characters sprinkled throughout keep things from feeling too monotonous!

For those who don't know, Igor Cobileanski is the director of several absolutely brilliant humorous shorts (you can see them on YouTube). After having watched them, I decided I wanted to know more about his work, so I watched "Tache, the Old Gravedigger". While it lacks the concision of his shorts, as well as their continuous string of puns and funny situations, the film has a good flow, with a gradually unraveling plot, and quite a few unexpected turns. Mircea Diaconu (Tache), one of the leading comedy actors of Romania, meets here his ex-partner from "Filantropica" (Nae Caranfil's epoch-making film), Mara Nicolescu (Geta), who also managed to write an apparently simple, but in reality quite elaborate script - another well-made, although rather over-looked debut. Together with Constantin Draganescu (playing Tache's life-long friend, Bobicescu "Bobi"), who is excellent in his sly role of womanizer and extortionist, make up a trio that upholds the film throughout. Of course, there's a good contribution from Gabriel Spataru (playing the prosperous undertaker Pafalau) as well as from Gabriel Spahiu (Geta's allegedly impotent husband Nestor) who add to the colorful atmosphere of the film.

As the previous reviewer said, the film succeeds in being a very good-taste comedy, on the side of irony and the grotesque, not of the macabre, and this a very pleasant surprise, since the subject could have easily afforded it. All in all, it's a good film, but knowing Cobileanski, I know he can do better, and I hope he soon will. The cast and crew are well-chosen (and I don't think it's a chance that the crew is almost the same as Nae Caranfil's), so they should keep up the good work and bring us something to rival "Inspiration" and "When the Lights Go Out".