Romanian Cinema was started five months after the Lumiere Brothers had the first film exhibition in Paris showcasing there invention of the Cinematographer. On May 27th 1896 a group from the Lumiere Brothers screened the first films in Bucharest, the capital of Romania. Soon after the screenings, The French filmmaker Paul Menu shot the first film set in the country, “The Royal Parade on 10 May 1897”. The film showed a military parade in the centre of Bucharest lead by his Majesty the King Carol I and escorted by his General Staff and the foreign military attachés. When the excitement of filming in Romania died down the filmmaker Paul Menu sold his camera to the head Neurologist in the country, Gheorghe Marinescu. Marinescu made short medical films from 1898-1899 which included the first recorded scientific film “Walking Difficulties in Organic Hemiplegia”.

 

During the next 20 years Romania would start making fiction films the first of those being “Amor fatal (Fatal Love Affair)” directed by Grigore Brezeanu in 1911 with help from the Bucharest National Theatre. Leon Popescu was a pivotal figure in Romanian Cinema as he was the owner of a Cinema and had ties to the countries rich. Popescu saw the potential as well as the importance of Romanian Cinema and produced many acclaimed films including:

Independența României (The independence of Romania) in 1912
Amorurile unei prințese (The Love Affair of a Princess) in 1913
Răzbunarea (Revenge) in 1913
Viorica in 1913
Urgia cerească (The Sky-borne Disaster) in 1913
Cetatea Neamțului (The German’s Citadel) in 1913

When sound films begun in the western world Romania was having a hard time making films at all. With the lack of support, funding and training the fewer and fewer films were being made every year. With the inclusion of sound it only became harder for Romania to make films. From 1930-1939 only 16 films were made in the country. The country tried to reestablish the industry with a 1934 law creating a National Cinema Fund to help fund films made in Romania. After the law was created the industry started back up and had a large boost with the success with audiences and critics of Ion Șahighian’s film “O noapte de pomină (An Unforgettable Night)” made in 1939. Another successful film was the documentary “Țara Moților (Moților Land)”,the first documentary in Romania and winning a prize at the 1938 Venice Film Festival.

After World War 2 Romania commenced a new era with the nationalization of the cinema industry following the expand of the Soviet union. This time in Romania is known as the “period of socialist cinema”. Films were made with little or none creative freedom and many depicted political ideology and over showed the working class and its strength. The end of communism came in 1989 allowing filmmakers to exercise their own creative freedom. The start of the New Wave in Romanian Cinema is highly disputed upon but the most common answer is the release of “The Death of Mr. Lăzărescu”, directed by Cristi Puiu in 2005. Romania is now deep in their new wave making films with realistic as well as abstract stories and the creative freedom to make films however they want.

Title: Buna! Ce Faci? (Hello! How are you?)

Date: March 4, 2011

Director: Alexandru Maftei

Writer: Lia Bugnar

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Stars: Dana Voicu, Ionel Mihailescu, Paul Octavian Dianconescu

Format: Streaming

Country of Origin: Romania

FILM SYNOPSIS

“Buna! Ce faci?” is a film that follows the slowly dying marriage of Gabriel and Gabriela, while their son Vladimir comically narrates from his perspective into a tape recorder. Gabriel and Gabriela live very plain, stale lives in contrast to their comedic, sexually active friends in their work spaces. When Gabriel goes away on a work trip, his friend introduces him to an online chatroom where he can meet women. Coincidentally, while Gabriel is away on his trip, one of Gabriela’s friends introduce her to the same chatroom for her to meet men. Here, they both begin their online affairs where by chance, they start speaking to each other anonymously and inevitably fall in love with each other once again. Now, they ironically live their married life as a couple stowing away in their virtual affairs with each other.  

SCENE SYNOPSIS

A specific moment of montage that stands out is a moment in the film where Gabriel and Gabriela have both snuck time to get to a computer so that they can secretly chat with their ‘other lover’. The messages from their conversation pop up on screen through the whole sequence. The scenes consist of both, living their stale everyday lives together, but you see that all that is on their minds is that they wish to speak with their ‘true love’. The time code for the sequence is 00:51:50 – 00:55:54.

SCENE ANALYSIS

The main feeling that is consistent throughout this sequence is that we as an audience are taken in and out of the head space of both actors as they stow away in their virtual affair. This is done through psychological close-ups and specific angles chosen that give the feeling of privacy or being alone. The pacing through this sequence is slow, to show that we still continue through the slow moving, boring life of the couple.

The sequence starts with Gabriela telling her employee that she can clock-out early so that she has privacy while using the computer. The moment she leaves, we feel alone with Gabriela. The following moments consist of continuous edits that juxtapose Gabriel and Gabriela’s stale lives while living together, and the happiness they receive when continuing their affair. Romantic music begins as no one else is around, showing that this is how Gabriela feels at the moment. She is finally able to talk with her secret lover privately.

A close up is shown as she takes a deep breath, preparing herself to start typing her message. From this close-up the camera is tilted down, cutting off her eyes. This is done to show that she is now entering her ‘secret life’ to sneak away into her affair. It is also done as a way to show that because it is an online relationship that only consists of them chatting with each other, they do not know each other’s faces. As she types, each keystroke follows the rhythm of a slow playing piano. While saying that her lover does not understand how much she misses him all the time, a wipe reveal/mask transition (or sometimes called invisible edit) is used to reveal a reaction shot: the smirk of her lover, showing his happy and giddy feeling as he types his response. His eyes are also not seen, showing that both characters are alone and secretly talking to each other. This happy feeling is cut short as the mood of the entire sequence is changed when we hear the buzzer of Gabriel’s apartment. The angle and feeling of him being in a private space is now changed to an angle that gives the POV of Gabriel being watched from behind as if someone were there, which is the opposite of a feeling of privacy. He answers the door frustrated, to which we come to a two shot- officially breaking the mood of privacy that was established earlier. As he rushes his unwanted guest to leave, the feeling of privacy is reestablished. A parallel edit of a high angle of Gabriela is followed by a high angle of Gabriel, continuing their conversation in this reestablished private space.

At 00:54:07, while cleaning rugs together, the messages from their chat continue to pop up. They are not speaking to each other nor acknowledging each other. As Gabriela carries one of the rugs away, juxtaposed close-ups of each character are shown. This is done to show that although they are together, they both still feel alone and are in their own head space thinking about their preferred love.

In the last portion of the sequence we are taken onto the balcony of their home, Gabriela is seen putting clothes on to the line to dry. As she notices the moon the camera slowly comes to a closer, more personal space and we feel as though we are in her head space once again. Their messages continue to pop up matching the pace of what is on screen: Gabriela asks if he had seen how beautiful the moon was last night. As she walks into the house and runs into Gabriel, the angle goes back to what it was previously, eliminating the established privacy. After they briefly interact, Gabriel comes out onto the balcony to get a sink pump. The angle remains until Gabriel notices the moon and in the same fashion done with Gabriela, the angle is changed and brings us into Gabriel’s head space, followed by his reply to her message asking if he had seen the moon popping up on screen. This was all done in a sequence shot. This moment is used to show that even while living together-doing their everyday chores and duties, their minds are constantly drifting to the thought of their ‘other’ lovers.   

“Buna! Ce Faci?” uses juxtaposition, parallel edits, specific camera work and language, slow pacing and rhythm, and a soft melody to successfully pull the audience into the head spaces of the couple that is falling out of love but is also secretly in love with each other.  

IMDB Page

Title: Philanthropy (2002)/ Filantropica (original title)
Date: March 15, 2002 (Romania)
Director/Writer: Nae Caranfil
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Stars: Mircea Diaconu, Gheorghe Dinica, Mara Nicolescu
Format: Streaming
Country of Origin: Romania

Film Synopsis

The film Philanthropy or Filantropica (the Romanian title) follows a middle aged romanian english teacher named Ovidiu Gorea. When he falls in love with a young model he joins an underground scamming business to create the illusion that he leads a luxurious lifestyle. When his two lives get to close his scam boss Mr. Pepe sets up the most elaborate job yet, but when Ovidiu ruins it for what he thought was the life of a child he ends up becoming the property of his boss.

Scene Synopsis

In this sequence we see Ovidiu Gorea accept the scamming job and meet his “wife” Miruna for their first job. While talking before the cheque comes Ovidiu questions this job and his dignity but before he can exit the restaurant Mr. Pepe stops him and threatens him into the job. Once they start scamming Ovidiu realizes he loves scamming and a montage ensues of them scamming restaurants.

Scene Analysis

A montage and the scene prior to it at (00:42:10) is prominent in the film. This sequence brings Ovidiu into the scamming underworld and shows us how much power Mr. Pepe has in the business. The first shot is a static Medium shot of Mr. Pepe sitting at a big desk smoking, he picks up the phone receiving the news that Ovidiu decided to join him and do the scam. This shot shows power in Mr. Pepe with the static and the smoke covering his face. Then the camera cuts to a bus passing by with a quick pan up to reveal Miruna and then following her panning right with her to reveal Ovidiu waiting for her.

We cut to the inside of a fancy restaurant as the “married couple” walks in. The camera slowly pans right as they walk away from the camera where they find their table, The restaurant is visibly almost empty with only one other person eating in the shot. We then get five close-ups on the table quickly. One of the Bouquet of flowers being dropped on the table, leading us to believe this is not Miruna’s first scam, then one shot on the candle as it is lit by a match, the third of Miruna opening a match box and dumping it on the table with two rings inside, the fourth of Miruna putting on a ring and the fifth of Ovidiu putting on a ring. We then slow it down with a long static medium shot of the two sitting at the table, fiddling away until the waiter comes with coffee. This static shot lets us take a long look at both Ovidiu and Miruna and we can see Ovidiu is fiddling more then Miruna and is visibly nervous and feels he is losing his self-respect.

The Camera cuts to a waiter bringing out a dish of food with the restaurant now packed and bustling, we follow the waiter through the crowds of people with a pan to the right. This pan over all the people in the restaurant shows how many people will be watching Ovidius stunt. The pan ends on the couple and we see in the background the beggar children outside the window looking at them. In the next shot we see Ovidius look out at the children and then a shot of the children’s faces outside the window a pan back to Ovidius face. The camera is making the clear connection that Ovidius is just like the poor beggar children in the streets, we see that Ovidius also makes this connection when he says “what the hell am I doing here?” Ovidius thinks this is “below his dignity” and no longer wants to participate in this scam. When Ovidius says he’s leaving and starts to get up we see the conversation between him and Miruna from outside at the children’s perspective and we also see them leaving as Ovidius leaves from the table.

As soon as Ovidius takes a step away from the tables and the camera Mr. Pepe stands up from an opposing table and pretends to recognise him and sits him back down at the table. We cut to a close up of Mr. Pepe with one arm on Ovidius shoulder and the other directly in front of him, the close up has Ovidius in the left corner of the screen and Mr. Pepe taking up the majority of the screen. This shot shows now that Ovidius is in Mr. Pepe’s scam business, he is in control and has all the power. Mr. Pepe threatens Ovidius and then we cut to a shot medium shot of all three of them sitting at table. Mr. Pepe calls for the bill and then leaves the shot. The waiter brings the bill and then starts walking away. Miruna calls for the waiter to come back and then we cut to a close up of Miruna asking about the bill followed by a Reverse shot on the waiter. We then cut back to Miruna starting to raise her voice, followed by a close-up of Ovidius looking out of place and very nervous to be bringing so much attention to them. We then have 4 back and forth close-ups between Miruna and the waiter. Miruna gives Ovidius the bill and he has a back and forth close-up with the waiter which ends with a quick shot of Miruna crying and then a close up of a glass she knocked over breaking on the ground. The next shot is a pan over the room with everyone in tableau. This shot draws emphasis to Ovidius realizing that he loves the attention of the restaurant and we then see the glass break again but when we come up we get a montage of Ovidius and Miruna doing more scams and having fun doing it. The montage is also comedic and quite funny. The Montage ends with a close up of someone counting money and then fades to a close up of Ovidius face.

Finally, this sequence is a great representation of Romania cinema.