| 100 |
New York Post
V.A. Musetto
Porumboiu, who also produced and wrote, elicits remarkably deadpan performances from Teo Corban (as the show's host), Ion Sapdaru (the professor) and - especially - Mircea Andreescu, as the old man. Even the subtitles cracked me up.
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| 100 |
San Francisco Chronicle
Leba Hertz
It's a movie that seems simple, yet its subtle and brilliant complexity is not to be denied.
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| 91 |
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Noel Murray
Porumboiu starts off making a mordant slice of life, but he gradually entwines the personal and the historical, then ends on a poignant note. The story and situation are slight, but in the best possible way.
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| 88 |
TV Guide
Ken Fox
Wonderfully droll, Cannes Camera d'Or winner.
|
| 88 |
Boston Globe
Ty Burr
For all its pessimism, the movie prompts a viewer to search his or her own memories for actions rather than reactions, and to mull over the differences between the two. It's a dark little ride, but at the end the lights hesitantly flicker back on.
|
| 80 |
LA Weekly
Ella Taylor
This brilliantly caustic movie -- easily the best in a burgeoning and fertile effort to come to grips with post-Soviet malaise in Central and Eastern Europe -- offers living proof that when it comes to politics, comedy is the sincerest form of dissidence.
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| 80 |
Los Angeles Times
Kenneth Turan
It's clear that an exceptional body of work is coming out of this country at this particular time and place. It's not necessary to categorize these films to enjoy them, it's just necessary to go.
|
| 80 |
Washington Post
Philip Kennicott
A remarkable film from Romania.
|
| 78 |
Austin Chronicle
Toddy Burton
While 12:08 East of Bucharest could take more than one viewing to truly appreciate, it’s worth the commitment.
|
| 75 |
Chicago Tribune
Michael Phillips
Porumboiu's picture, small and pungent, lacks the resonance of "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu," Cristi Puiu's masterpiece of contemporary Romanian malaise released in the U.S. last year. But this one's less forbidding, and it has a satisfying shape and fullness.
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| 70 |
Village Voice
J. Hoberman
A casually bleak and neatly structured ensemble comedy--at once deadpan and bemused.
|
| 70 |
Variety
Justin Chang
The buoyant little comedy 12:08 East of Bucharest puts its finger on the problem in the best tradition of East European humor, savvy but concrete, gentle but sharp as a knife.
|
| 70 |
The New York Times
A.O. Scott
Though it is modest, almost anecdotal, in scale, 12:08 East of Bucharest is also characterized by a precise and sneaky formal wit.
|
| 67 |
Entertainment Weekly
Scott Brown
12:08 East of Bucharest is a shrewdly built comedy, but the characters are broad-verging-on-cheap unholy hick fools.
|
| 50 |
Chicago Reader
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Part of the minimalist humor growing out of this small-scale event is that they can barely remember anything, because the revolution scarcely made any difference.
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