Film circles love to talk of 'waves' of national cinemas, in which case Romania is certainly staking a claim for being in the middle of one. 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days may have grabbed the lion's share of the attention with its Palme d'Or and Oscar nomination, but there have been plenty of supporting acts, of which 12:08 East of Bucharest is a worthy example. It revolves around three characters in the nondescript small town of Vaslui, pottering about during the course of a day, leading up to their sitting down on a local TV programme to discuss the events of the day on which Ceauşescu was deposed 16 years earlier, and, specifically, whether the revolution actually happened.
Nothing in the cantering pace of the film up to this point prepares the viewer for an abrupt realisation that what we've been watching all along is a deeply pointed, absurdist satire. The balsa-thin little talkshow disintegrates rapidly as caller after caller phones in to denounce the veracity of the guests' eye-witness testimonies and the presenter starts sweating over legal issues. Does this kangaroo court prove that nothing has changed? Porumboiu's film drops some heavy clues as to what's meant, but avoids hectoring and delivers its message with a good dose of wry humour.
7/10
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