IN THE CINÉMA CLUB OF…
CORNELIU PORUMBOIU
With his signature combination of playful humor and rigorous philosophizing, director Corneliu Porumboiu quickly established himself as a pivotal figure in the Romanian New Wave – one of the 21st-century’s most acclaimed national film movements. His films include his debut 12:08 East of Bucharest (2006), existential cop story Police, Adjective (2009) and ludic soccer documentaries The Second Game (2014) and Infinite Football (2018). The Whistlers, his twisty new thriller set in the Canary Islands, premiered in competition at 2019’s Cannes and is now in US theaters.
LA DOLCE VITA, Federico Fellini, 1960
I watched it by chance when I was 18 years old. After the screening I wanted to be a filmmaker.
KHRUSTALYOV, MY CAR!, Aleksei German, 1998
A parable about Stalinism made by a unique filmmaker – astonishing mise-en-scène and cinematography.
FULL MOON IN PARIS, Éric Rohmer, 1984
I am fascinated by Pascale Ogier. In a way I think this film is her portrait. I've always wondered what kind of roles she would have played if she didn't pass away so early.
RECONSTRUCTION, Lucian Pintilie, 1968
A sharp, uncompromising view about the fake nature of the communist ideology.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, Sergio Leone, 1984
There are films that are too long or with the right length. Once Upon a Time in America is that kind of film that you don’t want to come to an end.