michaelwalters56 Reviews

Poveste la scara 'C' (2003)

A lovely piece of film-making from Romania!

[18 March 2004]

I saw this film at the NYU International Film Festival in New York and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! The story focuses on the lack of communication between a working-class family that live on C block and combines gritty drama with terrific unclichéd comedy. The story is so clever and entertaining and by the end it resolves itself with such charm. It is full of subtle messages about life, family, communication and relationships. Great acting from the three main actors and a wonderful sense of pacing from the director. This really is a lovely piece of film-making from Romania and well deserving of it's award at the festival.

Viktor och hans bröder (2002)

A real gem!

[10/10 · 18 March 2004]

I really marvelled at this film when I saw it at the NYU International Film Festival in New York last year. It's a beautiful story about a young boy trying desperately to repair the friendship of his two brothers who no longer speak to each other. The film is full of charming little scenes depicting routine moments from the life of your average disintegrating family. The kid who plays Viktor is superb! His acting is flawless, capturing the audience from the beginning of the film and holding their attention until the very end. The subtlety of this film makes it so powerful. The story has a clear message about family values and is one of the most heart-warming films I have ever seen. It's a gem!

Broken Things (2002)

A simple story told well.

[10/10 · 11 March 2004]

I saw this film at the NYU International Film Festival in New York and couldn't stop thinking about it. It's a wonderful piece of story-telling about a young boy trying to escape his parents marital separation through his love for the piano. Although it's about something quite tragic, the film has heart and humor and is full of surprisingly entertaining moments. The kid who plays the lead role is incredible! I was so mesmerized by his performance. The emotion in his face and his eyes seems so real that you just wanna reach out and hug him. The rest of the cast are also very strong in their roles. I particularly liked the relationship between the father and the son as it was told through simple moments that were quite touching, yet never asking for attention. The director addresses a whole lot of issues that we encounter in the process of growing up and handles them brilliantly with a sense of humor. This is a very simple story told exceptionally well.