Toni Erdmann (2016)

Toni Erdmann might just be the funniest movie I've ever seen. Some of it is stupid funny--whoopee cushions at the Cannes Film Festival. But it's not just sex jokes like the comedies we get in the US. It's three hours of pure dry humor. And it never feels long. The reason it is so long is that it drags out every joke, milking every laugh it can get from each gag. The humor is highly unexpected and refreshingly honest. As funny as it is, it is equally moving. It should be required viewing for wannabe consultants. The world of management consulting in all its glamor is casted in a less than favorable light. It's not all about money, but about happiness. Ines's father tries to make her happy, tries to make her laugh and while she isn't having it, we have a ball. My favorite scene is one in which Ines sings the entirety of the Whitney Houston classic "The Greatest Love of All," quite well I might add. Everyone in the theater was laughing hysterically. But the scene everyone is talking about is the raucous nude party. And all the promotions include the enormous Bulgarian costume that makes a side-splitting cameo.  This is a faultless brilliant romp. It was a phenomenal way to spend 3 hours.

Graduation (Bacalaureat) (2016)

This movie was surprisingly very good. Romanian cinema is vibrant and well. On the surface, it is about a father who is willing to do whatever it takes to help his daughter, who was assaulted. But it is not a revenge story as it would be in America. It is actually not about revenge at all. There is some nuance. His daughter needs to pass her final exams to accept her scholarship, but shaken up, she is not her usual smart self. This is a story that could've taken place in a different developing country, but it is unique to this world where corruption reigns supreme. I rub your back and you rub mine. This look at Eastern Europe is illuminating. Adrian Titieni gives an excellent performance as the concerned father. And things get particularly interesting when he has to drag his innocent daughter into his schemes.

The titular graduation is something of a joke. I learned that in Europe, they don't do big graduation ceremonies. There isn't really any ceremony. They all gather in the playground, no gowns, no pomp, no chairs, a few speeches. And then they hilariously gather for a picture. They get in formation for this picture unnaturally fast. There is no way that any group of human beings could line up for a picture that quickly. Otherwise, it is a very realistic film. And it is this real melodrama that makes it so compelling.