liliana23-1

The choice of black and white was from the start a clear sign of accessing the world of symbolism, where each emotion, the slightest tendril of a feeling reverberates in the shapes the mountain, the clouds, the sky take as they get caught in the sober eye of the camera. In the first part, Leopoldina Balanuta, amazing actress, whose sensibility and intelligence articulates every gesture, informs every look, knows how to suggest years of life, the accumulation of hope and despair, stubborn love along with the immensity of pain restrained under a mantle of silence. The powerful dialog carried by her with the camera is only matched in the second part by the tragic innocence registering in Mircea Diaconu's eyes( the deserter). It was the movie that announced the sober, meditative tone of Mircea Veroiu, and the restless eye with a tendency for continuous camera movement for Dan Pitza. Iosif Demian's camera, the anguished voice of Dorin Liviu Zaharia seem born from within the windswept souls of Fefeleaga ( the mother in the first part) and the couple along with the deserter in the second part.

Yes, I remember seeing it a long time ago and still have in my mind that sunflower "walking" by an open window, still hear the voices with all that intensity of childhood in questions and answers... The camera seems at times to be a partner in the children's games, and to invite us to participate. I also enjoyed the absence of moralizing comments be they verbal or visual. You know it's a great movie when it stays with you for years! We need these movies out there, for others to enjoy and discover. There are a few moments that breathe similar air in "The Steamroller and the Violin" - Andrei Tarkovsky's first movie ( you can find it on Netflix). Any other movies that would dwell in the same area?

I am an optimist, we'll find a DVD copy of it, eventually!