Written, produced and co-directed by Cristian Mungiu, director of the acclaimed 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days, this portmanteau satire mixes wry laughs and tiny tragedies to depict Ceausescu’s Romania, taking a microscope to the absurdities and fears of life in a more-than-usually capricious Communist state.
So a village is brought to the edge of madness by the prospect of a motorcade; the question of Ceaucescu’s hat causes a crisis; and two enterprising youngsters make money out of air. Almost as bleak as Mungiu’s breakthrough, humour makes them slightly more palatable.