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The Treasure

Play trailer 1:43 Poster for The Treasure Released Jan 8, 2016 1h 29m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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95% Tomatometer 38 Reviews 41% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Costi and his neighbor search for a buried treasure in a garden.

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The Treasure

The Treasure

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Critics Consensus

The Treasure digs deep into Romanian history and yields a rich comedy full of deadpan laughs and winsome observations.

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Critics Reviews

View All (38) Critics Reviews
Matthew Lickona San Diego Reader If the humor were any drier, it would be dust. Rated: 2/5 Jan 22, 2016 Full Review Bilge Ebiri New York Magazine/Vulture Slowly ... something changes, and the functionality of Porumboui's style gives way to an ever-so-slight hint of wonder. Jan 10, 2016 Full Review Jessica Kiang The Playlist "The Treasure" suggests that you can have both feet of clay and flights of fancy, and in the battle between the prosaic and the pie-eyed, the prosaic doesn't always have to win. Rated: A- Jan 9, 2016 Full Review Diego Batlle Otroscines.com Another great little film from a country that doesn't stop surprising us. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 4/5 Aug 8, 2023 Full Review Daniel Barnes Dare Daniel A film so wispy and deadset against narrative momentum that it threatens to float away, but writer-director Porumboui's emotional restraint, cultural intelligence and minor-key humor keep you tethered for the duration. Rated: 3/5 Apr 12, 2019 Full Review Glenn Heath Jr. San Diego CityBeat The Treasure walks the razor's edge between tones, but never veers into the realm of dark comedy. Porumboiu values the playfulness of words over the visceral, the political and social subtext of contradictory statements and scenarios. Nov 3, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member A thoughtful fable about life in a (pseudo) post-communist society. There's a scene in a garden where 3 characters are trying to find buried treasure but 2 of them are standing around watching one guy doing all the digging. The dream of capitalism and democracy hasn't really panned out for most of the characters in 'the treasure' although there are some plot payoffs. On a personal note, this movie reminded me of the mood of Leipzig in 1993, coming out of a movie theatre, late at night, after just having watched Wim Wenders 'Wings of Desire'. I felt like I was walking out of the theatre and into the black, white and grey movie. The mood has lifted in the world of 'the treasure'. There is sunlight in the sky and the birds sing in the countryside, but the griminess of the streets and playgrounds of this former eastern block country remain. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Stupid movie, No plot. No adventure. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member Unsubstancial. The end is not at the level of generated expectatives. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Not your typical treasure hunt film! Who doesn't like treasure hunt films. They are always exciting with surprises. See this film poster, and the title is just perfect. That's what I expected, like if not another 'Indiana Jones', then 'National Treasure'. I was disappointed with that perspective. But realised it was unique with the most realistic approach. I've seen plenty of same themed films, but this one stood out to be one of the rare kind. This film is not fun as the others, but surely makes sense of what real treasure hunt means. Though the film did not take the complicated route to narrate the tale. Just a simple, small film. A man from a little middle-class family living in an apartment is approached by his neighbour guy who financially broke. All he wanted was some cash, so that he could go and look for treasure that his dying grandfather told him about. Now these two join hands for the unusual quest. They had to make all the pre-arrangement before jumping into it. Like hiring a metal detector and making it a weekend event for not clashing with their routines. So finally the most expected venture begins and how it all turns out are told with some fun filled tense climax. This is a very slow film. Particularly those treasure hunt sequences became even slower than what one would expect out of it. Probably a film for matured audience. It is considered as a black comedy and yes, that's how everything unfolded. Though not all black comedies are same. I mean not everybody understands clearly why it is called that. In my instance, I expected something else, but got another thing. In the end, I really enjoyed it. The initial story was unbelievable. I mean, if somebody approached me with a theory like that, not just me, most of the people won't easily want to be a part of it. Not because it is illegal, but does not make sense or gives enough reason to take part. It has to be convinced thoroughly. ?We've all got problems. You've got problems. I've got problems. A man makes his own problems. They don't descend from heaven.? The little Robin Hood story at the opening was relevant to how the film has ended. That character called Costi was an ideal man for a typical world. His belief to be a good person in the society, definitely gives the right message. But I did not think he would go for such a quest. That's the first twist. Then following that, seeing his desperate to succeed, more than the man who took him in, it kind of made fun, like of course black comedy. Especially during the hunt, the verbal fight between two out of three set a perfect tone for the rest of the tale. Definitely not a predictable storyline. That's what kept my eyes open, despite frequent drops in the pace of the narration. I liked the dialogues, especially about the some of the technical terms. Like about metal detector, and the brief history about the Romanian communist era, including the Dos and Don'ts, what the law says about the treasures that has found. It was not like you take all the needed tools and the adventure begins. It excellently highlighted that the treasure hunt is not like one you have seen in the films. Finally, regarding the treasure, it comes in many forms. How this film sorted out that part was really cool. That's indeed a well written screenplay. It's not impossible to see such a film in Hollywood, but they won't make money, that's the difference. That is the reason why small film industries around the world shines with such little gems. This is the reason I want to explore the world cinema. When it comes to the development, in some of the parts, the film was not that logical. That's how it has to go, so it became what it is. As I said the end was really cool. I meant the post quest end. It had ended bringing a little smile on my face. Nice performances. The writer, director is the first to be appreciated. I haven't seen many Romanian films, but from those I've seen never disappointed, and so this one, a very satisfying film. My little advise is for those who wants to see it is expect it to be a drama than an action-adventure- thriller. Patience is another thing it required. Probably you would like it after watched it than while watching. But overall a worthy film. 7.5/10 Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member This was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I think the Tomato Meter is broken on this one. Created this account just to save others from suffering through this movie. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member Highly nuanced movie; subtle dry humour. I agree with the critics' reviews. Wonderful movie-- it all feels right. Refreshing + unique kind of movie you don't see often. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Treasure

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Costi and his neighbor search for a buried treasure in a garden.
Director
Corneliu Porumboiu
Producer
Marcela Ursu, Sylvie Pialat, Nadia Turincev, Julie Gayet
Screenwriter
Corneliu Porumboiu
Distributor
IFC Films
Production Co
42 Km Film, Rouge International, Les Films du Worso
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
Romanian
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 8, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$33.5K
Runtime
1h 29m
Aspect Ratio
Digital 2.39:1
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