Oameni de treaba

While the story is fairly simple, Paul Negoescu (who did the 2016 hit film Two Lottery Tickets) certainly gives it a typical Romanian twist which will keep us expats chuckling and foreign audiences well entertained.

There are quite a few similarities with the deadpan narrative style of the Coen Brothers in "Fargo": a rural police officer, who covers up the mayor's smuggling activities, has just gotten a new partner when a murder happens. It's pretty clear from the start who's responsible, but since this community is ripe with corruption, the cop knows better than to investigate for real. Yet another event pushes him into a crisis of confidence, resulting in a quite unforgettable showdown.

The film starts very slow and observant like the Romanian New Wave ones but gradually changes into a very dark comedy. It deserved its many Gopo awards (domestic Oscar) for this, especially for Iulian Postelnicu's zero to hero performance. Rare for a Romanian film, it got released in the US, so I suppose it may land an Academy Award nomination. Like Caranfil, Negoescu is a bit too funny for the European idea of a Romanian film, so you'll have to search for this if you live abroad, but it's definitely worth it.