Romanian film review – TIFF's finest. Part one: the features

Another edition of Transilvania Film Festival has just ended, another lovely time in Cluj, another week of cinematic, but not only, revelations. The competition had more than one excellent entry, like the superb winner,Ship of Theseus, or the best thriller I've seen in ages, the DanishA Hijacking. Other sections fared just as well. I was particularly impressed with a Belgian drama about a remote village devastated by a year in which spring doesn't come, the heartbreaking and poetic The Fifth Season. The Romanian Days section was its usual fine mix of classics, more recent successes and premieres. The most amazing find this year was a silent film made in 1925, Manasse. The drama set at the turn of the century was a scandal at the time of its release because it tells the love story between a Christian man and a Jewish woman, criticizing the massive religious intolerance of that period. A DVD launch of Lucian Pintilie's complete works was another historic moment. Pintilie, who's Reconstituirea/Reenactment, is regarded as the most influential Romanian film of all time, should have had his films released much sooner. This DVD is a wonderful homage to a brilliant, unrelentingly outspoken artist and a great means to make his films accessible worldwide. Further screenings included recent releases, like the multi-awarded Poziţia copilului/The Child's Pose, the gently amusing pet comedy Domestic, the bleak Rocker, the 30-something love drama O lună în Thailanda/A Month in Thailand, and the delicate study of the phenomenon of children left behind by their parents working abroad, Aici... adică acolo/Here... I Mean There, which was also named Best Romanian Feature. But the more exciting part of the Romanian Days are the premieres, and this year's selection had quite a few gems and one massive surprise in store. Iulia Rugină's long-feature debut, the comedy