Saw another very very good

Romanian film the other day; Tuesday, After Christmas.

It is a very simple, quiet, slice of life motion picture that is still extremely moving and gripping to watch.  The story is there is a man with a wife, a daughter, and a mistress.  And, he must decide over Christmas week who he wants to be with, either the wife or the mistress.  The mistress is also the child's dentist, which makes things a bit more complicated, as well.

Mirela Oprisor is not having a very good Christmas.

Like a lot of the more recent Romanian films, Tuesday is composed of mostly static shots of people talking in rooms.  This gives the fabulous actors a chance to really shine.  (Mirela Oprisor is the real star of this picture, with a stunning performance.)  But, I also like the fact that this movie does not pass judgement on any of the characters.  It is a true, objective look in on some folks living in Romania round Christmas time.  How refreshing.

By the way, I saw Tuesday streaming on Netflix.  And there are currently a bunch of Romanian New Wave films streaming on Netflix currently, including California Dreamin', Tales of the Golden Age, 4 Months 3 Weeks 2 Days, Police Adjective, and a whole lot more I have not seen yet.  (But will devour soon, I am sure.)  All of these films just listed come extremely highly recommended. You should check them out.

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Got another crack at Tiny Furniture the other day.  It was on the Sundance Channel.  My opinion did not really change.  It is still not a good or great motion picture in my judgement.  But, Renee brought up a good point:  That Tiny Furniture probably means a lot more and says something quite different to twenty-something aged women than it does to an old dude like myself.  It might just be a gender thing, blind spot.  As painful and cringing as the movie can be for Renee to watch, she still likes it a lot, and much more than I do.

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Casablanca tonight! I wonder what the turnout will be like all across the nation.  Maybe I will see you there, yes?







Kisses,
Ardent