12:08 - Jenseits von Bukarest

Die Suche nach der Basis der Vergangenheit in der Gegenwart als Farce über drei leidende Köpfe. Entbrannte um 12:08 Uhr östlich von Bukarest eine Revolution oder nicht? Leuchten die Lampen auf einmal oder allmählich auf? Die erste komödienähnliche Hälfte, die wie die Porumboiu-Lethargie einer Fernsehdebatte wirkt, in der sich drei Akteure in einem Kreis aus Hilflosigkeit, Beleidigungen sowie ihrer eigenen Erzählungen drehen. Es wäre der Hammer, wenn das Ganze aus dem Blickwinkel des postsozialistischen Gesellschaften nicht so exakt wäre. (In einem solchen ÚSTR (Tsch. Institut für das Studium Totalitärer Regime) sollte das hier verpflichtend 1x täglich anstelle der Hymne am Morgen gezeigt werden.) (26.01.2016)

I will not give this film five stars, despite my great regret, because the form somewhat lags behind the content and the first half of the film drags a bit despite its reasonable length and needlessly dissects the unflattering mundane existence of the story's protagonists. However, the second half, which takes place on television during a live talk show, is great and, in my opinion, the most accurate portrayal of the reality of a generation that experienced the fall of the communist regime and the subsequent disillusionment with the post-revolutionary situation. It experienced it quite rightly, because the actions of the elites are merely a result of the overall state of society, and changes in thinking are much harder than formal changes of the regime. The elites are no better or worse than the rest of society and they only do what those below them allow them to do. The television debate addresses whether a revolution took place in a provincial town east of Bucharest or if the locals just passively waited for the fall of power in the capital. As is known, human memory operates selectively and people tend to adjust their biography to the point where they eventually believe it themselves. Confrontation with reality, or rather with the perception of their peers, can result in a geyser of tragicomic outbursts that reveal the opportunism and adaptability of our heroes. The humor style, which revels in the awkwardness and pettiness of the film's characters, is quite different than that seen elsewhere in countries that experienced something similar. Overall impression: 85%. (01.06.2011)