Every film he’s made so far is Porumboiu’s Romanian reality. It is a rather despondent perspective, but an honest one: “My generation is an inadequate one as it had absolute idealism and saw it collapse
The Dreamer of the East:- Corneliu Porumboiu
by Anamaria Dobinciuc
One of the most important directors of the nouvelle vague roumaine is Corneliu Porumboiu, born in 1975 in Vaslui, a small Romanian town which would later become the choice of setting and a source of inspiration for his films. Porumboiu’s first feature, A fost sau n-a fost? / 12:08 East of Bucharest came in 2006 following a string of short films. Independently financed, this debut feature film was a success, winning the Caméra d’Or award at Cannes, as well as the hearts of audiences.
Actually, Corneliu Porumboiu’s success at the Cannes Film Festival started much earlier, with Călătorie la oraş / A Trip to the City (2003), a short film that brought him the second place at Cinéfondation.
If A Trip to the City gives us a glimpse of Porumboiu’s ironic style, Visul lui Liviu / Liviu’s Dream (2004) is the one that establishes the theme of interest present in both of his future features. Liviu is 24, unemployed and with questionable everyday life ethics. He has been having the same dream for a few days but he can never remember it the moment he wakes up. Liviu’s life is dreary and he seems to be the archetype of a despondent youth that doesn’t dare to dream big. Or at least not while being in a state of consciousness. Through Liviu’s eyes, Porumboiu portrays a post-communist society with no values, a morally corrupt society; people are directionless, live from day to day and blame the dark communist past for their mediocrity and failure to achieve something meaningful. The end of the film reveals Liviu’s reoccurring dream, this way offering an almost surreal image – a metaphor for a generation born during communism and trying to somehow survive the transition.
The first feature
There are many unanswered questions left about the Revolution that overthrew Ceauşescu’s regime in late December 1989. Every year since then, talk show hosts and their guests unsuccessfully try to get to the Truth about the Revolution. In A fost sau n-a fost? / 12:08 East of Bucharest (2006), Porumboiu captures this Romanian reality with a wonderful sense of humor. The pace of the film is rather slow, just like the pace of life is in this small town, Vaslui, where a TV host invites a history teacher and a Santa impersonator to a live debate regarding the Revolution. The question they try to answer is “Was there a revolution in our town or not?” However, finding an answer to this question is not what the film intends to do. This quest for the Truth is just a pretext for Porumboiu to sketch a post-communist reality. And just like in Liviu’s Dream, the characters seem to be sleep-walking. Only this time, the tone of the film is not as serious; it is rather self-mocking. With 12:08 East of Bucharest, we get a first sample of Porumboiu’s brilliant dialogue writing skills as well as a first proof of his directorial edginess – long shots and real time (the talk show scene lasts for as long as a real talk show would last).
Police, Adjective and another success at Cannes
2009 brings us the sophomore feature of Corneliu Porumboiu, Poliţist, adjective / Police, Adjective. Winner of two awards at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Un Certain Regard and FIPRESCI, Police, Adjective presents us a director who has found his style and is not afraid to stick to his preference for real time and slow pace. Set in a small town, Police, Adjective focuses on Cristi, a good cop who investigates the case of a teenager suspected of dealing pot. Going against the usual practices we see in films dealing with investigations, Porumboiu doesn’t skip the waiting actionless part of a police investigation. If Cristi surveils the suspect’s house, we see it too, if he has to wait for some paperwork, we have to wait too. It’s like Porumboiu is saying “Bear with me! I’m trying to make a point, and I promise the waiting will be worth your while.” And it really is worth your while. The delightful “dictionary scene” towards the end of the film establishes Porumboiu as a savvy and witty screenwriter with a great sense for dialogue. In this scene, prefigured by a conversation Cristi has with his wife about the Romanian Academy, language becomes the protagonist. With this exceptional scene, Porumboiu proves to have a deep understanding of language and discourse, of the way in which simple dictionary definitions can be manipulated. If in 12:08 East of Bucharest he gives multiple definitions for the word “revolution”, in Police, Adjective he tries to define the word “conscience”.
Every film he’s made so far is Porumboiu’s Romanian reality. It is a rather despondent perspective, but an honest one: “My generation is an inadequate one as it had absolute idealism and saw it collapse. Even after the Revolution it became more and more cynical or adapted itself to the prevailing cynicism. It seems to me that the transition Romania is passing through today is never going to end, or it is going to end too late when I won’t need it anymore. Every film I’ve made so far has been made in the shadow of this despair. I hope that I’m wrong.”[1]
Through his films, Corneliu Porumboiu comes across as a fine observer of post-communist Romania, and as an intelligent director who knows that less is more when it comes to sending a simple yet meaningful message. Also, through his directorial choices and honest approach, Porumboiu advocates for a return to the essential elements of cinema.
[1] http://www.cinema-scope.com/cs39/spot_peranson_porumboiu.html
Tags: 12:08 East of Bucharest, adjective, Corneliu Porumboiu, Issue no-8 2010, Liviu’s Dream, Poliţist, Romanian Cinema
Posted By Anamaria Dobinciuc | Thursday, January 21st, 2010 | Filed under Cover Story, World Cinema
