Taximetristi

One of the better Romanian scripts for a comedy from the last 10-20 years. Obscenities aside, its vignettes are pretty good and tell a deeper story but the story from underneath it all is the one that is grounded and pretty real, emotion wise. We get to know these two characters, these two sad taxi drivers - fun fact: trist in taximetrist means sad - to their very core, we understand not only them but a very big chunk of their generation, my generation.

We no longer blame the government but we are looking within when something doesn't go our way. We blame ourselves, we are maturing from this point of view. We are getting there. There was a glimpse when one of the drivers wanted to go the political route but he was destroyed, when a client opened his eyes its all his fault for the situation he is in. It's the capitalist way.

Beside this, great sound and a different coloring of this night life, not usual to romanian cinema.

A good movie, not a great one, but a good one. Some characters are strong and the actors that protraied them did their job. The story is pretty good, some slices of what happens in the city at night, with happiness and sadness, with joy and anger, love and hate, it's all there. For some of them it could have done a bit more, to offer a context, or to find out what happened next, but in the end, as a taxi driver, this is exactly what you see: take people from point A to point B, drop them off and that's it. You go back to your live, you don't know what happend to the ones you travelled with. Good job!

This movie is a slice of life story following two cab Bucharest cab drivers. The main characters are very well fleshed out and you can clearly see them evolve as they encounter various customers, each with their own life lesson to impart. The dialogues are well written and the type of humour is coarse but intelligently done. The story is bleak as it focuses on the fact that the working class is left with no means of getting a strong financial foothold under a rampant capitalism that splits people into dupes and bosses who know how to make money on the backs of the dupes. The movie is beautifully shot and I want to salute the presence of Micutzu here.

Oh, where do I even begin with Taximetristi (2023)? I had such high hopes for this movie, but boy, was I in for a major letdown! I mean, I must say, I wasn't just disappointed; I was positively stupefied by how awful it turned out to be.

From the very start, it's as if the filmmakers conspired to bore me to tears. The plot was so cliché and predictable that I could have written a better story in my sleep - which, by the way, I practically did because this film was so mind-numbingly dull that I couldn't help but doze off!

The characters were just as lifeless as a taxidermied animal. I felt no connection, no empathy, and certainly no interest in their fates. It's like they were trying to make a statement about existentialism, but all I got was a headache from rolling my eyes too hard.

And the pacing! Oh, don't get me started on the pacing. It was slower than a tortoise wearing cement shoes. I kept waiting for something, anything, to happen, but it was just one long, tedious snoozefest.

I have to give them some credit for the cinematography; at least, the visuals were somewhat decent. But, alas, a few pretty shots do not a good movie make.

It's truly baffling how a film like this even got made. Did anyone read the script before greenlighting this disaster? Were the actors sleepwalking through their roles? I wouldn't be surprised if they were, considering how easy it was to doze off while watching.

In conclusion, Taximetristi (2023) was a total waste of time. If you're suffering from insomnia, maybe consider this movie as an alternative to counting sheep. For everyone else seeking entertainment, steer clear of this snooze-inducing catastrophe. Save yourself the agony and watch something that won't make you question your life choices.

Throughout the entire film, you can clearly tell that the script was adapted from a theater play. The main focus is on character-to-character interaction.

In a world (country) full of movies made solely for cheap laughs (some good laughs ngl), this film has a unique and brave take, attempting to exert different feelings than the Romanian audience is familiar with.

The film has a bittersweet vibe, showcasing very real-life, relatable scenarios. Many people from different backgrounds may identify themselves or, at the very least, empathize with certain characters.

It is true that the film could have been executed better, however I still gave an 8/10 for braveness and the unique take it provides.