Thursday, June 2, 2016

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.

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