Discover Romanian New Wave Cinema: 9 Must-See Films

Today we examine the Romanian New Wave cinema, the rising period of Romanian cinema, and its 9 magnificent works.

For those interested in world cinema, it is undoubtedly a pleasure to discover a new cinematic movement. Just as the French New Wave and Italian Neorealism produced some of the most influential directors in history, the Romanian New Wave introduced the world to many promising filmmakers.

So what exactly is Romanian New Wave Cinema? Today we will answer this question and present you with a total of 9 classic Romanian New Wave movies accompanied by short reviews.

Movie List Index

1.Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn

Discover Romanian New Wave Cinema: 9 Must-See Films - Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn

Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, a 2021 comedy-drama movie that won the Golden Bear for Best Movie at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it premiered, is a new production directed by Radu Jude.

The movie was also selected as the Romanian entry for the Oscars for Best International Feature Movie. Shot on a budget of less than $1 million, the movie was well-received by both audiences and critics.

After a sex tape of school teacher Emi is leaked onto the internet, Emi’s career and reputation are under serious threat. Forced to meet with parents who demand her dismissal from teaching, Emi refuses to bow to their pressure. In this movie, Radu Jude takes an unusual approach to the hypocrisies and prejudices in our societies, offering a provocative mix of irreverent humor and bold commentary.

Information about Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (2021)

Title: Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
Director: Radu Jude
Cast: Katia Pascariu, Claudia Ieremia, Olimpia Malai, Nicodim Ungureanu, Alexandru Potocean
Release Year: 2021
Duration: 106 minutes
Country: Romania, Luxembourg, Croatia, Czech Republic
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Available Platforms: Various streaming services (availability may vary by region)
IMDb Rating: 6.5/10 Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn on IMDb
Language: Romanian
Age Rating: Not Rated (contains explicit content and adult themes)
Similar Movies: Nymphomaniac (2013), The Square (2017), The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube

2.If I Want To Whistle, I Whistle

Winner of the Alfred Bauer Award and the Silver Bear, the Grand Jury Prize from the Berlin International Film Festival, “If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle” is a 2010 drama movie directed by Florin Şerban.

This movie, which was also nominated as the Romanian entry for the Oscars, was eliminated from the final list. The movie, starring George Piștereanu, was critically acclaimed.

Silviu, who spent his youth in prison, is released in his late teens. Before leaving prison, his mother returns to Romania, despite Silviu’s objections. Silviu meets Ana, a young woman working on a research project in the prison, and becomes attracted to her. Desperate and hopeless about this interest, Silviu tries to resort to force.

Information about If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle (2010)

Title: If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle
Director: Florin Şerban
Cast: George Piştereanu, Ada Condeescu, Mihai Constantin, Clara Vodă, Marian Bratu
Release Year: 2010
Duration: 94 minutes
Country: Romania, Sweden
Genre: Drama
Available Platforms: Various streaming services (availability may vary by region)
IMDb Rating: 7.0/10 If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle on IMDb
Language: Romanian
Age Rating: Not Rated (may contain mature themes)
Similar Movies: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007), The Class (2008), The Child (2005)
Trailer:Watch the Trailer on YouTube

3.Police, Adjective

“Police, Adjective,” a 2009 drama movie, is an impressive work that won the FIPRESCI Award at the Cannes Film Festival as well as the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard category.

Written and directed by Corneliu Porumboiu, the movie stars Dragoș Bucur in the lead role. The movie was also selected as Romania’s Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Movie at the 2010 Academy Awards.

In Vaslui, a crime-ridden city, Cristi is a young police officer married to Anca, a conscientious, concise, and recently appointed teacher. He starts following a boy who smokes marijuana, suspecting him of being a dealer, but Cristi is uncomfortable with this task. Arresting this young man, who is not a dealer but merely a consumer of marijuana, would certainly ruin his life, and Cristi hesitates to carry out his duty, assuming that Romania will soon legalize marijuana.

His superior insists that the law is the law and demands that he close the case with a quick arrest. Cristi, however, prefers to pursue another suspect, a young man whose father is a builder. Cristi continues to observe, write reports, and requests a meeting with the prosecutor. Can a cop’s conscience interfere with his duty?

Information about Police, Adjective (2009)

Title: Police, Adjective
Director: Corneliu Porumboiu
Cast: Dragoș Bucur, Vlad Ivanov, Ion Stoica, Irina Saulescu, Marian Ghenea
Release Year: 2009
Duration: 115 minutes
Country: Romania
Genre: Drama, Crime
Available Platforms: Various streaming services (availability may vary by region)
IMDb Rating: 7.0/10 Police, Adjective on IMDb
Language: Romanian
Age Rating: Not Rated (may contain adult themes)
Similar Movies: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007), The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005), Graduation (2016)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube

4.Sieranevada

Sieranevada is a 2016 comedy-drama movie directed by Cristi Puiu, which won the Gold Hugo and Silver Hugo awards for Best Movie and Best Director at the Chicago International Film Festival and was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

The movie’s title, which derives from the Sierra Nevada mountain range, is intentionally misspelled—an element of parody common in esoteric movies. It was also nominated for the Romanian selection of the Oscars, but was not ultimately chosen.

Three days after the terrorist attack on the offices of the weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, Lary, a doctor in her forties, spends her Saturday at a family gathering in memory of her father. However, the gathering does not go as expected. Forced to confront her fears and past, and rethink her place in the family, Lary struggles to confess the truth and explain herself.

Information about Sieranevada (2016)

Title: Sieranevada
Director: Cristi Puiu
Cast: Mimi Brănescu, Judith State, Bogdan Dumitrache, Dana Dogaru, Sorin Medeleni
Release Year: 2016
Duration: 173 minutes
Country: Romania, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia
Genre: Drama
Available Platforms: Various streaming services (availability may vary by region)
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10 Sieranevada on IMDb
Language: Romanian
Age Rating: Not Rated (may contain mature themes)
Similar Movies: The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005), Graduation (2016), The Treasure (2015)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube

5.Graduation

Graduation is a 2016 Palme d’Or nominated crime drama movie that earned Cristian Mungiu the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival. Graduation also won two Silver Hugo awards at the Chicago International Film Festival and grossed approximately $2 million worldwide.

Living in a small mountain town in Transylvania, 49-year-old doctor Romeo Aldea has raised his daughter Eliza with the idea that she will leave to study and live abroad when she turns 18. His plan is close to success because Eliza has won a scholarship to study psychology in England.

All he has left is for her to pass her final exams, which are just a formality for a student as good as Eliza. The day before her first written exam, Eliza is attacked in a way that could jeopardize her entire future. This forces Romeo to make decisions that will deeply affect both himself and Eliza.

Information about Graduation (2016)

Title: Graduation (Bacalaureat)
Director: Cristian Mungiu
Cast: Adrian Titieni, Maria Drăguș, Lia Bugnar, Vlad Ivanov, Rares Andrici
Release Year: 2016
Duration: 128 minutes
Country: Romania, France, Belgium
Genre: Drama
Available Platforms: Various streaming services (availability may vary by region)
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10 Graduation on IMDb
Language: Romanian
Age Rating: Not Rated (may contain mature themes)
Similar Movies: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007), The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005), Beyond the Hills (2012)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube

6.Child’s Pose

Child’s Pose won the FIPRESCI and Golden Bear awards at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it premiered, and was also selected as the Romanian entry of the year at the Oscars, but was not nominated.

Directed by Călin Peter Netzer, the movie was denied financing by the Romanian Film Board because of its controversial portrayal of the Hungarian minority in Romania.

Cornelia, a wealthy architect with an elite social circle, learns on the night of her birthday celebration that her son Barbu was involved in a fatal car accident and will be tried for murder. Inevitably, this unfortunate event reignites the already difficult mother-son conflicts.

This imbalance between an overprotective and almost suffocating mother and a spoiled child reveals how this meddling, caring mother is determined to do anything for her child. Who can stand in the way of motherly love?

Information about Child’s Pose (2013)

Title: Child’s Pose (Pozitia copilului)
Director: Calin Peter Netzer
Cast: Luminita Gheorghiu, Bogdan Dumitrache, Vlad Ivanov, Ilinca Goia, Dorel Visan
Release Year: 2013
Duration: 112 minutes
Country: Romania
Genre: Drama
Available Platforms: Various streaming services (availability may vary by region)
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10 Child’s Pose on IMDb
Language: Romanian
Age Rating: Not Rated (may contain mature themes)
Similar Movies: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007), The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005), Toni Erdmann (2016)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube

7.California Dreamin’ / Nesfarsit

California Dreamin’ is a 2007 comedy, war, and drama movie that won the Un Certain Regard award at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Camera award.

Director Cristian Nemescu died before the movie was even finished, making this his last feature-length production. The movie was released in its 155-minute version, with no scenes cut, in memory of the director.

In 1999, during the Kosovo War, a train carrying NATO equipment, commanded by Captain Doug Jones and accompanied by American Marines, is stopped in the cursed village of Capalnita in Romania by the station master Doiaru, who blocks the train because of a paperwork issue.

For five days, the villagers try to take advantage of the unexpected presence of the Americans. For example, the mayor organizes a celebration in their honor. Meanwhile, Jones’ assistant, Sergeant David McLaren, falls in love with the station chief’s daughter, Monica, who dreams of a better world. But can the Americans get used to this situation?

Information about Nesfârșit (2007)

Title: California Dreamin – Nesfârșit
Director: Lucian Georgescu
Cast: Anca Ţurcaşiu, Teodor Corban, Andreea Bibiri, Serban Ionescu, Ion Caramitru
Release Year: 2007
Duration: 97 minutes
Country: Romania
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Available Platforms: Various streaming services (availability may vary by region)
IMDb Rating: 6.7/10 Nesfârșit on IMDb
Language: Romanian
Age Rating: Not Rated (may contain mature themes)
Similar Movies: The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005), 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007), Tales from the Golden Age (2009)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube

8.The Death of Mr. Lazarescu

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, which won the Un Certain Regard award at the Cannes Film Festival, is a 2005 black comedy movie directed by Cristi Puiu. The movie, which ranked 5th on the “25 Best Films of the 21st Century” list prepared by The New York Times, was not an international box office success but was highly praised by critics.

Mr. Lazarescu, a 63-year-old single man, feels ill and calls an ambulance. When the paramedic arrives, they decide he needs to be taken to the hospital, but while there, they choose to send him to another hospital, and then another. As the night progresses and a hospital still cannot be found for Mr. Lazarescu, his health begins to deteriorate rapidly.

Information about The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005)

Title: The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Moartea domnului Lazarescu)
Director: Cristi Puiu
Cast: Ion Fiscuteanu, Luminita Gheorghiu, Doru Ana, Ana Ularu, Oliviu Crăciun
Release Year: 2005
Duration: 153 minutes
Country: Romania
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Available Platforms: Various streaming services (availability may vary by region)
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10 The Death of Mr. Lazarescu on IMDb
Language: Romanian
Age Rating: Not Rated (may contain mature themes)
Similar Movies: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007), Police, Adjective (2009), Sieranevada (2016)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube

9.4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

The movie, which won the Palme d’Or and FIPRESCI awards at the Cannes Film Festival, grossed over $9 million despite being produced on a very low budget.

Cristian Mungiu’s movie, which was ranked 15th on the BBC’s list of the 100 best movies of the 21st century, has also had political resonance. Premiering at the Transylvania International Film Festival in Romania, the movie has garnered positive reviews from critics for its minimalist aspects.

In Romania in 1987, the Ceaușescu dictatorship reigns; birth control is illegal, and abortion is a crime punishable by death. Gabita (Laura Vasliu), almost five months into an unwanted pregnancy, is desperate. She turns to her friend and roommate Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) for help in getting a backroom abortion.

When these two women meet Bebe (Vlad Ivanov), an illegal abortionist whom they do not even know, they finally start to think that something is working out. This tragic story also offers a socio-political satire against the oppression of the dictatorial regime.

Romanian New Wave Cinema

Romanian New Wave Cinema is a movement that brings an impressive cinematographic approach to Romanian cinema and also thematically examines the effects of the Ceaușescu regime and its aftermath on the Romanian people.

The Romanian New Wave Cinema began with four movies released between 2004 and 2005. Starting with two award-winning short movies by two Romanian directors, Catalin Mitulescu and Cristi Puiu, this movement has led to the creation of some of the most realistic movies made in Romania since the mid-2000s.

Filmmakers within the Romanian New Wave Cinema movement continued to produce realistic and minimally stylized movies while addressing issues of social crisis and political change in Romania.

The term “Romanian New Wave Cinema” was first used in 2008 by critic Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian to describe a new avant-garde movement in Romanian cinema.

All the directors of this movement, which brought Romanian cinema into the limelight, were deeply influenced by the master Romanian director Lucian Pintilie. The three main directors who formed this movie movement are Corneliu Porumboiu, Cristi Puiu, and Radu Muntean.

These directors, who created honest cinematic works to reflect the lives and realities of the Romanian people, began to make movies that openly expressed their views on what was happening in their country. This movie movement is still current, and new cinematic works influenced by this movement continue to be produced.