intrebare idioata

The problem with most quality Romanian movies is that they are sort of like 'inside jokes'.. meaning you will enjoy them twice as much if you are familiar with our lifestyle.

However, I will recommend a few titles I think you should give a chance to:

http://imdb.com/title/tt0314067/ - this one has its share of Romanian subtleties but I think it is very enjoyable even if you don`t figure them out

http://imdb.com/title/tt1032846/ - a bit slow in its development but the acting is exceptional

http://imdb.com/title/tt0456149/ - again wonderful acting, great dialogue, but I`m afraid you will not appreciate the black humour as much as someone who is familiar with the Romanian healthcare system

http://imdb.com/title/tt0805188/ - might be difficult to get hold of but if you manage to I suggest a watch, it is pretty interesting

http://imdb.com/title/tt0449573/ - this one is supposed to be very good but I haven`t gotten around to watching it yet

Also, I recommend a short film (~14mins) you can watch on youtube (it has English subtitles):
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=N3SB4rBElyE - Part 1
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=CXCi7JUKgE0 - Part 2

Enjoy! And maybe come back to let us know what you thought of them. I for one am very curious as to how a foreigner sees the movies we enjoy.

Well, regarding the metaphors, the characters represent some typical Romanian characters who pretend to be involved/interested in the revolution: the old senile man, the drunken buffoon, and the pretend-philosopher. Also, their lifestyles and interractions with other characters are so typically Romanian that we enjoy them madly and laugh heartily at a gesture we have seen our parents or our teachers do before. A foreigner would not pick up on these things unless they have lived in Romania for a while.

For instance, although the talk show scene is obviously exaggerated (though talk shows are much like that in our country, you can imagine the camera work isn`t that horrible), please watch the mimic and gestures of the old man (Piscociu) closely. Me and all my friends who have seen it find them hilarious because we are familiar with old Romanian people acting this way, both on TV and at home.

In short, when watching such a movie, please keep in mind that in Romania, though the regime is now democratic, many of the older people holding the power in all public domains have been brought up during communism. Unfortunately, it is not that easy for everyone to drastically change the way they think and act, so communist attitudes are still all around. (yes, there are exceptions, but that`s another story)

Also another key point to remember is that nearly every Romanian institution is corrupted - meaning that if you don`t have lots of money for a substantial bribe, or know someone influential who will make a phonecall for you, you are not taken seriously, or at least not as seriously as someone who does have one of these advantages. (again, all due respect to the exceptions to this rule)

Now in Romania we have this expression 'a face haz de necaz' which means 'to make fun of problems', and this is what these movies do. They use subtle sarcasm or black humour to bring forward these issues to the viewer, but a little bit sugar coated.

Hope I helped a bit; please feel free to send a message if you need any more help.. I am not even close expert but I have watched Romanian movies with foreigners and explained the key points to them, and I very much enjoy doing it.

Cheers!