Romania | 2006 | col | 86min | dir. Tudor Giurgiu | cast: Maria Popistasu, Ioana Barbu, Tudor Chirila, Mircea Diaconu, Tora Vasilescu, Mihai Dinvale In Romanian with English subtitles.
On her very first day of college, urbane city girl Kiki (Maria Popistasu) meets studious country girl Alex (Ioana Barbu) who has just arrived in town. The two fall abruptly and completely in love. That they both happen to be girls is quite irrelevant - to each other, and to the filmmaker, who takes a refreshingly angst-free, non-sensational approach to the subject matter. Based on a novel by young Romanian author Cecilia Stefanescu, this is first and foremost a romance - a story of attraction, flirtation and passion between two very different personalities.
The dusty interiors of Bucharest reflect stale values, the sweet home-baked cakes purport to a strong sense of tradition, the open idyllic countryside suggests a love of freedom and the girls' unconventional relationship perhaps points to a need for change. Indeed, the film itself can be seen as a coming of age for both the girls, and for Romanian cinema. Lucy Muss, The Guardian, 20 February 2006
Tudor Giurgiu (b. 1972 in Cluj, Romania) owns Librafilm, an independent production company and is the initiator and President of the Transylvania International Film Festival (Cluj). Selected filmography: Weddings, Music and Videotapes (2008); Love sick (2006), Popcorn Story (2001, short). Producer of the award-winning feature film Katalin Varga (2009).
Romanian Cinematheque is a partnership with the National Centre for Cinematography in Romania (CNC)
When: Wednesday 13 October, 7pm; Where: Romanian Cultural Institute London. Free entrance. To attend please email office@icr-london.co.uk or call 0207 752 0134. Early booking recommended.
