Two Romanian films and one documentary, at the New York film festival

Two Romanian feature length films and a documentary will be screened in the International Film festival in new York, which will take place between September 24 and October 10, according to variety.com. (trailers below). Romanian documentary “The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu, directed by Andrei Ujica, will be screened in New York, after having its premiere at the Cannes Film festival this year. The two other films which were also screened in premiere at the Cannes festival, 'Tuesday after Christmas' by Radu Muntean and 'Aurora' by Cristi Puiu, are included in the New York festival line-up. The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu

An astonishing work of the sociopolitical imagination, Andrei Ujică’s audacious essay film imagines the life of the controversial Romanian president as he himself might have recalled it on the eve of his 1989 execution. Working from a treasure trove of pristine archival footage (of official Communist-era newsreels), enhanced by an ingenious sound design, Ujică spins a riveting first-person narrative that traces its subject’s rapid rise through the political ranks, his efforts to unify the Communist East, and even his goodwill tour of the Americas—with little matters like the millions of ordinary Romanians denied basic human services consigned to Ceausescu’s subconscious (and Ujică’s cutting room floor). The pièce de résistance: a North Korean welcome ceremony that ranks with Busby Berkley at his most kaleidoscopic.

Tuesday after Christmas

Paul (Mimi Branescu) must choose between his wife of ten years, Adriana (Mirela Oprisor), and his mistress, pediatric dentist Raluca (Maria Popistasu). Radu Muntean’s singular, stripped-down look at adultery contains several masterfully composed long takes—scenes that further heighten the film’s unbearable suspense, from the highly awkward meeting of all the players in the triangle to Paul’s confession to his spouse. Muntean’s trio of exemplary actors convey the raw emotional states of their characters without ever once relying on histrionics; though each performer is mesmerizing to watch, Oprisor, as the oblivious and then wounded wife, is astonishing in her portrayal of one woman’s betrayal, hurt, and spite. Radu Muntean, 2010, Romania, 99m

Aurora

Five years after The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (NYFF 2005), Romanian writer-director Cristi Puiu returns with another singular, uncompromising character study, this time casting himself in the demanding lead role. That man, named Viorel, is a metallurgical engineer whose life seems to have spun loose from its axis, leaving him to solemnly stalk the streets of Bucharest, encountering former colleagues, a mistress, his mother, and his former in-laws, all the while harboring a secret plan designed to restore order to the whole. In a series of long, methodical takes, Puiu plunges us directly into Viorel’s world, making us both voyeur and accomplice to his actions, as we gradually come to understand just who this man is and the inevitability of where he’s going. Cristi Puiu, 2010, Romania/France/Switzerland/Germany, 181m