12:08 East of Bucharest

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12:08 East of Bucharest

2006

1h 29m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

47 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

On the anniversary of the overthrow of President Nicolae Ceausescu, Romanian talk show host Virgil Jderescu (Teo Corban) arranges a program dedicated to analyzing the town of Vaslui's role in the revolution. He recruits a strange cast of characters to answer questions, including Emanoil Piscoci (Mircea Andreescu) and Tiberiu Manescu (Ion Sapdaru). What they find, in a comedic examination of revolution, is that many Romanians question whether Vaslui had any role at all in the revolution.

Critics Consensus

With a witty script full of satirical overtones and dry humor, 12:08 East of Bucharest is a thoroughly enjoyable Romanian comedy.

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Richard Brody

The New Yorker

Porumboiu keeps his perspective: calm but not impassive, skeptical but not cynical, he reinforces an air of normalcy and an essential fearlessness that characterize life since the fall of the tyrant.

Jul 5, 2023

Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

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.

Dec 4, 2007

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John Monaghan

Detroit Free Press

12:08 East of Bucharest is easier to admire than enjoy, funnier to describe than actually watch.

Rated: 2/4

Nov 30, 2007

Full Review

Kevin Jagernauth

The Playlist

...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...

Rated: A

Dec 7, 2013

Full Review

Jennie Kermode

Eye for Film

Rated: 4/5

Dec 7, 2007

Full Review

Lawrence Toppman

Charlotte Observer

The movie provokes low-key laughs (yes, it's a comedy), but with a sad overtone.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 12, 2007

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S R

Saw it for it's title alone and it surprised me. Showed me a side of Romania I had never seen and the wry humor and cynicism were at times painful. It did take on some fascinating issues of what a revolution is all about and what makes a revolutionary, but the plot culminated in a bizarre tv show that was a let down. RUS.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/02/24

Full Review

Alec B

An amusing dissection of how people try to contextualize major historical events they witnessed.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/10/24

Full Review

dave s

Set in the small city of Vaslui, a Romanian television host assembles a panel to discuss the role of the city in the national revolution that drove Nicolae Ceausescu from power in 1989. 12:08 East of Bucharest starts slowly and admittedly drags a bit over the first half, but the actual TV broadcast of the ‘debate' is comedy gold. Using primarily stationary cameras, a bland color pallet and grainy film stock, the movie has an appropriately austere look to it, complimented by the deadpan and dry performances from the entire cast. The laughs kick in when it becomes evident that the town may have played no role in the ousting of the dictator as those who recall the events begin to clash over their interpretation of the events of the day. The humor is subtle but undoubtedly effective in its execution.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

An amusing dissection of how people try to contextualize major historical events they witnessed.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Winning Cannes Palme d'Or, this Romanian political satire commemorates the 1989 Romanian Revolution and the fall of Nicolae Ceausescu with a wry comedy following a hard-drinking history teacher, a Santa Claus-playing pensioner and an inept television journalist as they converge in a broadcast to discuss the myth of their hometown's involvement in the violent period, with self-deprecatingly slapstick consequences.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Audience Member

Slow but hypnotically interesting. Wonderful details.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

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Corneliu Porumboiu

Director

Mircea Andreescu

Piscoci

Teo Corban

Manescu

Ion Sapdaru

Jderescu

Mirela Cioaba

Doamna Manescu

Lucian Iftime

Lica

El Método Tangalanga

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Synopsis

On the anniversary of the overthrow of President Nicolae Ceausescu, Romanian talk show host Virgil Jderescu (Teo Corban) arranges a program dedicated to analyzing the town of Vaslui's role in the revolution. He recruits a strange cast of characters to answer questions, including Emanoil Piscoci (Mircea Andreescu) and Tiberiu Manescu (Ion Sapdaru). What they find, in a comedic examination of revolution, is that many Romanians question whether Vaslui had any role at all in the revolution.

Director: Corneliu Porumboiu
Producer: Corneliu Porumboiu
Screenwriter: Corneliu Porumboiu
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: Romanian
Release Date (DVD): Oct 9, 2007
Box Office (Gross USA): $89.5K
Runtime: 1h 29m