12:08 East of Bucharest is set in a small town east of Romania’s capital, sixteen years after the collapse of communist rule. To mark the anniversary, a local TV station invites people to share their recollections of the day when deposed dictator Ceausescu was forced to flee the country.
The somewhat distorted revisionist memories of the TV show guests cause locals to call in questioning the truth of the panelists’ supposed heroics; and the ensuing debate gently suggests the possibility that Romania may be no better off following the revolution and gives pause for reflection on the machinations of power in any society.
Porumboiu’s easy humour belies the serious intent with which he questions both how we write history, and what we choose to take from the past into the future.
The coup here is how he manages to tackle such weighty issues without ever losing sight of the effects of history on the characters that people his film.