The starting point of the story is actually quite good. From the chaos and fun caused by a memorial dinner, the cynical dialogue between family members constantly reflects the hot topics of politics, society, religion, marriage, etc. in Romania today, with a bleak realism background. There was a constant stream of Buñuel-like absurdity and comedy, nowhere more evident than at the overdue memorial dinner. The second is a rather interesting photographic style. The camera fixed in a certain corner of the home swings back and forth, silently recording the antics of these friends and relatives, as if the eyes of the head of the family (dead father) are watching everything. The scene scheduling is quite meticulous, which clearly shows the internal structure of the family to the audience: the kitchen, dining room, living room, and the spatial distance between the rooms. At the same time, it also accurately captures the changes in the characters' emotions and behaviors.
However, this experimental method of stage drama did not make the rhythm of the story lively, but instead made people feel more and more lackluster and gradually produced a sense of drama. In particular, the overly authentic jokes and plots in the play, such as the man who happily discussed the 9/11 incident, the belated priest, the unconscious Croatian drug addict, and the last laugh at each other. For non-Romanian audiences, these passages really don't allow people to appreciate the sense of humor, and they undoubtedly prevent the audience from effectively understanding the deep meaning of the story, which is quite regrettable.
Excessive length is always the hardest hit area of criticism. Many well-designed scenes seem unnecessary, or at least not worth the length of time to show them: for example, the part waiting for a car on the road at the beginning, and the conversation between the husband and wife in the car near the end. These paragraphs that do not promote the plot actually make the film rhythm sluggish and cumbersome, which greatly reduces the audience's favorable impression of the film.
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