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2020
Not Rated
Magnolia Pictures
1 h 37 m

2020
Not Rated
Magnolia Pictures
1 h 37 m

Summary Not everything is as it seems for Cristi, a police inspector in Bucharest who plays both sides of the law. Embarking with the beautiful Gilda on a high-stakes heist, both will have to navigate the twists and turns of corruption, treachery and deception. A trip to the Canary Islands to learn a secret whistling language might just be what ...

Directed By: Corneliu Porumboiu

Written By: Corneliu Porumboiu

2020
Not Rated
Magnolia Pictures
1 h 37 m

2020
Not Rated
Magnolia Pictures
1 h 37 m

The Whistlers

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 28 Critic Reviews

76

User Score Generally Favorable Based on 17 User Ratings

6.5

My Score

Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary Not everything is as it seems for Cristi, a police inspector in Bucharest who plays both sides of the law. Embarking with the beautiful Gilda on a high-stakes heist, both will have to navigate the twists and turns of corruption, treachery and deception. A trip to the Canary Islands to learn a secret whistling language might just be what ...

Directed By: Corneliu Porumboiu

Written By: Corneliu Porumboiu

Where to Watch

Critic Reviews

Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 28 Critic Reviews

89% Positive
25 Reviews

11% Mixed
3 Reviews

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 28 Critic Reviews

89% Positive
25 Reviews

11% Mixed
3 Reviews

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Washington Post

Mar 26, 2020

Fans of the director may be a little mystified by what at first seems like something of a commercial sellout, by a director known for more challenging material. And indeed, The Whistlers has more than enough sex and violence to satisfy the average action movie fan. But dig a bit deeper, and you’ll find a mother lode of meaning just below the surface.

By Pat Padua FULL REVIEW

Feb 25, 2020

Playing with genre cryptograms of gangster villas, opera-loving killers, and glamorously lit cigarette smoke, the film never takes itself too seriously, even if its characters never seem to smile.

By Ignatiy Vishnevetsky FULL REVIEW

Feb 27, 2020

This is as close to a multiplex contender as Porumboiu is likely to get, which may of course aggravate those that like their drinks sour, their bread hard and crusty, and their films to be as esoteric as possible. For those that don’t mind a bit of fun along the way this quirky, surreal crime thriller just might work its way into your heart.

May 21, 2019

Porumboiu gives us a knotty, twisty, nifty plot that’s quite involved but hangs together well, and there’s an amusing juxtaposition of gloomy, rainy Bucharest and the sunny terrain of La Gomera. We also get a neat and unexpected coda.

By Peter Bradshaw FULL REVIEW

Sep 6, 2019

Corneliu Porumboiu’s film is very much a genre exercise, and a particularly Soderberghian one at that.

By Christopher Gray FULL REVIEW

The Hollywood Reporter

May 21, 2019

The script may hum and buzz with twists and require concentration, but that's not exactly the same as being intellectually satisfying and rich the way Porumboiu's earlier work was. They were closer to profound; this is just clever.

By Leslie Felperin FULL REVIEW

May 7, 2020

A stylish and fitfully engaging crime thriller with a great concept, let down by incoherent plotting and impenetrable characterisation.

By Christopher Machell FULL REVIEW

See All 28 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

User Score

Generally Favorable Based on 17 User Ratings

47% Positive
8 Ratings

53% Mixed
9 Ratings

0% Negative
0 Ratings

User Reviews

User Score

Generally Favorable Based on 17 User Ratings

47% Positive
8 Ratings

53% Mixed
9 Ratings

0% Negative
0 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

Production Company 42 Km Film, Les Films du Worso, Komplizen Film, Romanian National Center for Cinematography, Eurimages, Arte France Cinéma, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), Film i Väst, Filmgate Films, Studioul de Creatie Cinematografica al Ministerului Culturii, Bord Cadre Films, Cinema City, MK2 Films, ARTE, Canary Pictures Vehicles

Release Date Feb 28, 2020

Duration 1 h 37 m

Rating Not Rated

Genres

Tagline Loyalty is not their language.

Website https://www.42kmfilm.com/films/la-gomera.html

View All Details

Awards

Gopo Awards, Romania

• 9 Wins & 13 Nominations

Seville European Film Festival

• 1 Win & 2 Nominations

Online Film Critics Society Awards

• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

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