Romanian film review – No way (out): The Crypt

I was happy to see quite a few interesting European co-productions with Romania lately, like the stunning Caníbal/Cannibalorthe gentlePădurea e ca muntele, vezi?/The Forest Is Like the Mountains. Sadly, the Romanian-French thriller/horror/philosophical pic Cripta/The Crypt was not one of them. The film is currently running in theatres across the country and I could only recommend it if you are interested to watch one glorious mess. The story itself is pretty

simple

: A French real-estate developer sees a chance to make a quick buck in the once splendid resort Băile Herculane. While he is in a crypt trying to destroy a Roman fresco which could delay his project, he is stuck in the crypt's inner courtyard when the gate closes and he can't open it from the inside. Days pass and none of the people that pass by want to open the gate for him, neither the unruly kids not the local prostitute and her pimp. Needless to say, he gets more and more desperate and things spiral out of control.

With such an improbable plot,

it would take

some

skill to make it believable, even in a fictional context. Which can't be said in this case, unfortunately. Nevermind that the situation is seriously far-fetched, but why does everyone refuse to let the poor man out? The problem is that neither the acting (although the thesps do their best) nor the style make up for the film's incoherence, and the film feels just like a bad idea dragged out for a much too long time. It makes

you w

ish the guy finall

y

g

ot

out and the film ended. The topic of the well-off making profit in poorer areas is worth exploring, especially in the Romanian current context, and it can be nicely linked to the idea of freedom, both individual and collective. I also appreciate a proper, straightforward genre film and nobody would have been more excited about a thriller with horror elements set in a claustrophobic place. Unfortunately though, Gheorghiță refuses to

decide for