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MOVIES / ON DVD / 12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST
12:08 East of Bucharest

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12:08 East of Bucharest (2007)

95%
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85%
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95 %
Reviews Counted: 44 Fresh: 42  Rotten:2 Average Rating: 7.8/10
 
Consensus: With a witty script full of satirical overtones and dry humor, 12:08 East of Bucharest is a thoroughly enjoyable Romanian comedy.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Rated: 15

Runtime: 89 mins

Theatrical Release: 17-08-2007

Synopsis: 16 years after the Revolution and just days before Christmas, a local television station in Bucharest has invited several guests to share their moments of glory, as they allegedly stormed city hall, chanting “down with Ceasescu!,” before Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, and his wife... 16 years after the Revolution and just days before Christmas, a local television station in Bucharest has invited several guests to share their moments of glory, as they allegedly stormed city hall, chanting “down with Ceasescu!,” before Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, and his wife fled the presidential palace by helicopter so many years ago. An alcoholic history teacher and a lonely retiree, who moonlights as Santa, are forced to answer questions from dubious viewers who aren’t overly convinced that the Revolution ever took place in their city. --© Tartan Films [More]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Mircea Andreescu, Teo Corban, Ion Sapdaru

Director: Corneliu Porumboiu
Screenwriter: Corneliu Porumboiu
Producer: Corneliu Porumboiu

DVD Info

Release:

Sep 10, 2007

[DVD Details]

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Ratings Image
4/5

Extremely clever filmmaking--sharp and very funny, but also challenging and packed with relevance.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/17/07
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
Ratings Image
4/5

The only problem with the new Romanian cinema seems to be titles few can easily remember - but some eccentricity is permissible when the films are so good.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/17/07
Derek Malcolm
This is London
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4/5

A melancholy rumination on the failed hopes of Eastern Europe after the Cold War, infused with a sense of farce and the irrecoverable nature of the past.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/17/07
Anthony Quinn
Independent
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N/A

A terrifically droll and slyly incisive comedy.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/17/07
Sukhdev Sandhu
Daily Telegraph
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N/A

The central European tradition of failed aspirations, lost ideals and forlorn eccentrics goes back to early Forman, or indeed Chekhov, but the Latin Romanians bring their own awareness of the distant big city alternately beckoning and frightening.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/17/07
Martin Hoyle
Financial Times
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4/5

It won the best first film award at Cannes; somehow, it doesn't seem quite substantial enough to justify that accolade.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/17/07
Andrew Pulver
Guardian [UK]
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4/5

Beautifully observed and very funny, this film is a real treat.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/17/07
Wendy Ide
Times [UK]
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3/5

A funny, gentle film that understands the wearying nature of political upheaval.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/17/07
David Mattin
BBC
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4/5

A deadpan delight that offers further proof of Romania’s cinematic ascendance.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/17/07
David Jenkins
Total Film
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4/6

Black comedy with a subtle political edge.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/17/07
Dave Calhoun
Time Out
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N/A

Small-town values are rocked by the tide of history in Porumboiu's grimly funny and determinedly slight retrospective on the 1989 Romanian revolution.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/16/07
Anton Bitel
Channel 4 Film
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N/A

Dry comedies from eastern Europe tend to cast a skeptical eye on anything and everything, which is certainly the case with Corneliu Porumboiu's debut feature.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/04/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
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2/4

12:08 East of Bucharest is easier to admire than enjoy, funnier to describe than actually watch.

Full Review | comment Comment
11/30/07
John Monaghan
Detroit Free Press
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3/4

The movie provokes low-key laughs (yes, it's a comedy), but with a sad overtone.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/12/07
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer
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5/6

Porumboiu’s satire about history and short memories is a modest, deadpan masterpiece.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/06/07
David Fear
Time Out New York
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N/A

Dryly funny throughout its first half, the film truly comes to life in its final 45 minutes.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/06/07
Martha Fischer
Cinematical
N/R

Porumboiu starts off making a mordant slice of life, but he gradually entwines the personal and the historical, then ends on a poignant note. The story and situation are slight, but in the best possible way.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/06/07
Noel Murray
Onion AV Club
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N/A

You will laugh till the streetlights blink on again in the damp Romanian twilight.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/06/07
Stuart Klawans
Nation
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3.5/5

While 12:08 East of Bucharest could take more than one viewing to truly appreciate, it’s worth the commitment.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/06/07
Toddy Burton
Austin Chronicle
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3/4

Porumboiu's minimalist approach concentrates the movie's focus on its mournful characters, so disillusioned with their post-Communist life they question the history that led to it.

Full Review | comment Comment
09/28/07
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune
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Related Forums

REEL_REVIEWER
Romania gets an Independent SPIRIT nom for 12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST for 2007 awards!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/13/07


REEL_REVIEWER
Romania gets an Independent SPIRIT nom for 12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST for 2007 awards!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/13/07


REEL_REVIEWER
Romania gets an Independent SPIRIT nom for 12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST for 2007 awards!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/13/07


REEL_REVIEWER
Romania gets an Independent SPIRIT nom for 12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST for 2007 awards!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 10/13/07
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