Romanian film review – Open Airs for the Summer
<h4>Traditionally, summer has always generated new, alternative spaces for showing films, and generally more diverse screenings: documentaries, fiction, hybrid, features, many shorts. We have <a href="https://www.romania-insider.com/outdoor-cinema-events-ro-jul-2024">already covered some for you</a>; here are a few of my recommendations, in more detail.</h4>
<p>In Brașov, <strong>Caravana Metropolis</strong> is bringing a beautiful selection to Titulescu park until 28 July. From Nikolaj Arcel’s epic, stark period drama <em>The Promised Land/ Bastarden</em>; and the elegance of Tran Anh Hung’s gourmet romance <em>The Taste of Things/ La passion de Dodin Bouffant</em>; to one of my current favourites, Levan Akin’s <em>Crossing</em>. A road movie with a very unlikely (buddy) duo in Instanbul, the drama is a lovely plea for love and acceptance, a queer story with a most serious core that (unbelievably) makes for wonderfully moving, funny, uplifting viewing. And the city itself is a charmer. What a great choice to also include an animation, Mascha Halberstad’s adorable <em>Fox and Hare Save the Forest</em>. You can check out the details on their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/parcul-titulescu/caravana-metropolis-cinema-%C3%AEn-aer-liber-bra%C8%99ov-2024/3740936149482484/">Facebook page</a>. The screenings are free.</p>
<p>Bucharest has always had solid options for outdoor screenings, also thanks to its warm evenings that continue way into autumn. Two more recent ones are remarkable in their ambitious curation. Masca theatre (14 Uverturii boulevard) is providing the location for the <a href="https://eventbook.ro/program/cinemasca">first edition of <strong>CineMasca </strong></a>(until 28 September), focusing on films with theatrical, performative features — true to its host. Past screenings include Claire Denis’ sublime take on masculinity and (repressed) desire <em>Beau Travail</em>, easily one of the most (homo)erotic movies ever made; Alexandru Badea’s <em>Magnificient Sky</em>, a portrait of avantgarde musicians Iancu Dumitrescu and Ana-Maria Ichim; or outrageosly funny (and outrageous) <em>Polyester</em> by the one and only John Waters, also known as “the Pope of Trash”. If you are confused by the monicker, check him out and you will understand. Future screenings include Alain Resnais’ playful musical comedy <em>Same Old Song/ On connaît la chanson</em> and one of the best comedies ever (and no less topical today): Ernst Lubitsch’s <em>To Be or Not to Be</em>. One of the best „anti-Nazi” comedies — THE unequalled one must be Charlie Chaplin’s <em>The Great Dictator </em><em>—</em> , it centres on a group of Polish actors who literally act their way out of Nazi-occupatied Warsaw. Energetic, witty, and endlessly quotable, it is a fantastic movie.</p>
<p>Even more ambitious in their programming of rare films, <strong>CINEVARA</strong> (until 3 October) shows feature films from the years of Socialism, and as shown then, introduced by short films: news reels, educational films, films on labour etc. Also good to know: the films are watched in silence, i.e. with headphones. These are the big names in Eastern European cinema, from (today’s) Moldova-born and later Odessa-based Kira Muratova (<em>Getting to Know The Big Wide World</em>/ <em>Poznavaya belyy svet</em>), East-Germany’s Konrad Wolf and Wolfgang Kohlhaase (<em>Solo Sunny</em>), and (then Yugoslavia, now) Serbia-born <em>Želimir Žilnik</em> (<em>Tito Among the Serbs for the Second Time/ Tito po drugi put među Srbim</em>). What might look like a grey, drab selection if in fact irreverent, playful, original, and full of wit and colour. A wonderful programme indeed. Check out the <a href="https://eventbook.ro/program/cinevara">details here</a>.</p>
<p><em>By Ioana Moldovan, columnist, <a href="mailto:ioana.moldovan@romania-insider.com">ioana.moldova</a><a href="mailto:ioana.moldovan@romania-insider.com">n@</a><a href="mailto:ioana.moldovan@romania-insider.com">romania-insider.com</a></em></p>
<p><em>(Photo: still from The Taste of Things, courtesy of Caravana Metropolis)</em></p>
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