12:08 East of Bucharest (A fost sau n-a fost?) (2007)
86%RT Audience Score: 75%
Awards & Nominations: 12 wins & 13 nominations
Corneliu Porumboiu’s debut feature, 12:08 East of Bucharest, is a dry comedy that casts a skeptical eye on the aftermath of the Romanian Revolution. While some critics find it easier to admire than enjoy, others hail it as a modest, deadpan masterpiece that cleverly takes on the short memories of history. The movie’s subtle and brilliant complexity is not to be denied, and it provokes low-key laughs with a sad overtone. Porumboiu doesn’t pretend to have a position on the fallout of the revolution, but instead contends that different questions need to be asked and considered about post-Communist life. So, if you’re looking for a film that will make you laugh till the streetlights blink on again in the damp Romanian twilight, this is the one for you.
12:08 East of Bucharest is a movie that’s easier to describe than to watch, but don’t let that stop you from giving it a chance. This dry comedy from Romania takes a skeptical look at the aftermath of the 1989 revolution, and while it may not have a clear position on the subject, it certainly has a lot of subtle and brilliant complexity. You’ll laugh, you’ll scratch your head, and you’ll wonder why you didn’t watch more Romanian movies before.
Production Company(ies)
Rita Productions, Blue Spirit Animation Gébéka Films,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Romania
MPAA / Certificate
Unrated
Year of Release
2006
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Digital
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:NA
-
Language(s):Romanian
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Oct 9, 2007
Genre(s)
Comedy
Keyword(s)
starring Mircea Andreescu, Teo Corban, Ion Sapdaru, directed by Corneliu Porumboiu, written by Corneliu Porumboiu, comedy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Cliff Doerksen, Jonathan Rosenbaum, John Monaghan, David Fear, Toddy Burton, Leba Hertz, Anton Bitel, Kevin Jagernauth, Jennie Kermode, Lawrence Toppman, Stuart Klawans, Martha Fischer, produced by Corneliu Porumboiu, MPAA rating, Romanian language, revolution, satire, talk show host, anniversary, overthrow, President Nicolae Ceausescu, Vaslui, Emanoil Piscoci, Tiberiu Manescu, cast of characters, comedic examination, short memories, aftermath, post-Communist life, dry humor, satirical overtones, subtle complexity, low-key laughs, sad overtone
Worldwide gross: $523,703
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $772,282
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,647
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 84,218
US/Canada gross: $91,881
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $135,493
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,616
US/Canada opening weekend: $11,586
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $17,085
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,568
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): 200000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $294,931
Production budget ranking: 2,128
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $158,821
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $318,530
ROI to date (est.): 70%
ROI ranking: 1,062
Teo Corban – Manescu
Ion Sapdaru – Jderescu
Corneliu Porumboiu – Director, Writer, Producer
Director(s)
Corneliu Porumboiu
Writer(s)
Corneliu Porumboiu
Producer(s)
Corneliu Porumboiu
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
12 wins & 13 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (48) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (46) | Rotten (2)
November 17, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Cliff Doerksen
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Dry comedies from eastern Europe tend to cast a skeptical eye on anything and everything, which is certainly the case with Corneliu Porumboiu’s debut feature.
December 4, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
12:08 East of Bucharest is easier to admire than enjoy, funnier to describe than actually watch.
November 30, 2007 | Rating: 2/4
John Monaghan
Detroit Free Press
TOP CRITIC
Porumboiu’s satire about history and short memories is a modest, deadpan masterpiece.
October 6, 2007 | Rating: 5/6
David Fear
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
While 12:08 East of Bucharest could take more than one viewing to truly appreciate, it’s worth the commitment.
October 6, 2007 | Rating: 3.5/5
Toddy Burton
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
12:08 East of Bucharest cleverly takes on the aftermath of the December 1989 revolution in Romania that resulted in the overthrow of Nicolae Ceaucescu. It’s a movie that seems simple, yet its subtle and brilliant complexity is not to be denied.
September 14, 2007 | Rating: 4/4
Leba Hertz
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Small-town values are rocked by the tide of history in Corneliu Porumboiu’s grimly funny and determinedly slight retrospective on the 1989 Romanian revolution.
December 13, 2021
Anton Bitel
Projected Figures
…12:08 East Of Bucharest doesn’t pretend to have a position on the fallout of the Romanian Revolution. Instead it contends that different questions need to be asked and considered about post-Communist life…
December 7, 2013 | Rating: A
Kevin Jagernauth
The Playlist
December 7, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
Jennie Kermode
Eye for Film
The movie provokes low-key laughs (yes, it’s a comedy), but with a sad overtone.
October 12, 2007 | Rating: 3/4
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer
You will laugh till the streetlights blink on again in the damp Romanian twilight.
October 6, 2007
Stuart Klawans
The Nation
Dryly funny throughout its first half, the film truly comes to life in its final 45 minutes.
October 6, 2007
Martha Fischer
Cinematical…
Plot
On the anniversary of the overthrow of President Nicolae Ceausescu, a Romanian talk show host arranges a program dedicated to analyzing the town of Vaslui’s role in the revolution, but many Romanians question whether Vaslui had any role at all in the revolution in the comedy film “12:08 East of Bucharest.”
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for 12:08 East of Bucharest.
Corneliu-Porumboiu.jpg
