wbartl

The strength of this film is, that it develops a very personal view on Romania by letting two old people tell their story within this country. The director acts as an interviewer and also makes important links to give the spectator a bit of the bigger picture of Romanian history and presence. The dialog between grandparents and grandchild takes place in front of the peaceful Transylvania landscape and thereby awakes a sense of nostalgia. There has only been one moment when I would have liked to ask a question myself: Who have the been these people that where deported after World War II in the grandfathers village? But I take it as a question that motivates further studies about this beautiful country.

Overall a brilliant documentary. I would like to see more of this type from the director and hope that there are more projects in the pipeline.

A very good piece of work that seems slow when you watch it and is very effective in the end. It makes you sad and hopeful at the same time. After having gone through revolution the actors are sucked up by their daily struggles about money, love and dignity. The pictures are dark and don't make you want to go to Romania in December. Nevertheless it is a must for everybody who is interested in understanding Romanian culture. But first of all it is a contribution to the national discourse in Romania itself. I would like to see more of the process of Romanian self-reflection. Unfortunately Romanian films are hardly available on DVD outside of the country.