Romanian film review – What to Watch in April: Far From Here & Portraits in the Forest

If your are looking for a Romanian film to watch at the cinema these days, there are no less than three to choose from. The award-winning, much-discussed Ana, Mon Amour is one of them and we've already covered that one a few weeks ago; you can find the review here. The other two titles are more recent: love drama Far From Here/Departe de tine and thriller Portraits in the Forest/Portrete în pădure.

Far From Here (trailer in opening video) is a Romanian-US co-production with a mixed cast, set in both countries, and telling a classical story of a young couple being tested. Happily married Sofia (Maria Dinulescu) and Grant (Jonathan Ahmadi) live in Los Angeles and they seem very much in love. But then Sofia gets a job offer which happens to be in her native Romania, in Bucharest, so the two relocate there. While Sofia is enjoying her new corporate challenge and could head towards a solid career, Grant is struggling to adapt to a new environment, manage his work, and most of all imagine the family life he could have with Sofia long-term. If you've watched any kind of similar drama, you know there will be a greater test coming along, and you are right. In this case it's not only Sofia's boss who seems to be interested in her more than professionally, but most of all a family emergency in the States. Sofia needs to make a choice... This is a story often told, and Far From Here doesn't add anything original to the plot, but it is a well acted, sincere film on the importance of finding one's values. I also salute the international aspect of the film, making it even more urgent in its focus on finding one's place in a globalized world with its own set of challenges.

Portraits in the Forest (trailer below) could not be more different. Also a drama, but one mixed with crime and thriller elements, the film is pure genre. Based on Dana Dumitriu's novel “Duminica mironosițelor”, Dinu Tănase's feature focuses on a jaded police inspector (played earnestly by veteran actor Dan Condurache), harboring a traumatic secret which resurfaces when he is confronted with an episode of shocking violence: in a nearby forest, a married couple are arguing. When the woman (Ofelia Popii, very good, as usual) is attacked by two young men and the husband intervenes, tragedy strikes. What seems like a clear set-up turns into something darker and much more puzzling during the following reconstruction of the crime at the scene. There are a lot of head-scratching moments in the film, and narrative threads left (frustratingly) open, but I am never the one to overlook a genre film (a rare bird in Romanian cinema, although it's been getting better) andfor the pleasure alone of watching, re-watching and re-considering crime movie conventions alone,