Sieranevada

Synopsis

“Granted, this is not multiplex fare. But those who aren’t put off by the extensive subtitling will find themselves swept away by this family reunion which offers not only a masterful portrait of the contemporary Romanian middle-class but also a whole set of smart, perceptive reflections on the relativity of truth, on the failings of memory, the interpretation of history, the significance of religion and much more. Triggered by the memory of his father’s memorial and his own attempts to reconstruct exactly what went on there, Puiu turns this family encounter into an ironic but fascinating, compassionate, carefully-observed clash of characters, opinions and personalities. All are locked in the confined space of a flat, with its doors closing not only on rooms but on issues as well as the camera follows the skirmishes, the misunderstandings, the tensions, the bickering and the arguments which keeps this family apart and united at the same time. As for the meal they have all come to share together, with a Bunuelian twist, Puiu delays it throughout the entire film. Incessantly talked about, cooked, prepared, courted and even surreptitiously tasted, it never reaches the table before the last sequence. (…) The cast is admirable all through. The coherent precision of their performances is bound to draw an audience in, forgetting that they are watching strangers on the screen and suspecting they’re at a get-together of their own family. (…)“ (Dan Fainaru, Screen International)

Around The World in 14 Films 2016, presented by Anke Leweke

With the support of the Rumänische Kulturinstitut Berlin