Andrei Papp

"Occident" is a bitter comedy about the people who want to emigrate from Romania, and about those who stay behind. The movie has a rich, interesting structure: there are three different stories - a weeklong in the film - that cross, interconnect and happen in the same period. The characters influence each others lives, sometimes even without knowing. Main characters from one story become secondary characters in another story. At the same time, scenes from the first part of the movie bring unexpected facts when seen the second or the third time. The stories do not have just one ending: the first story ends in each of the third parts in a different point, suggesting radically different solutions for the characters. The way in which the director fits time and links events together often produces thematically unexpected results.

Mitu and Elena get to know each other in the course of a vodka drinking contest and discover that they are both dissatisfied with the status quo. Mitu is about to begin military service and Elena is to be married to a man she does not love. They decide they are meant for each other and plan on a different future, one that is on a collision course with the authorities, and start a mad affair.

It is the story of Danila Prepeleac, a silly, clumsy man that does things backwards. Once he took off for the market wanting to sell a pair of nice healthy bulls. On the way to the market he exchanged the bulls for an empty wallet. But this is only the start of Danila's adventures.

In 1925 Romania, young Marie-Therese Von Debretsy refuses the flirtatious advances of her husband's commanding officer. As a result, the cosmopolitan family is reassigned to a brutally bleak and dangerous outpost on the Bulgarian/Romanian frontier where both their relationship and humanity are severely tested.

A description of Romania before Ceausescu's downfall, through the story of Nela. Daughter of a former colonel of the Securitate, the romanian political police. She refused to become as her sister, an agent of this Securitate, and lives with her father. After he died, she leaves Bucharest, and ends up in a little town, where she meets Mitica, a surgeon, another herself, laughing of everything.

A filmmaker wants to create a film about her childhood, and she's looking for a child to star in it. This movie is purely visual, there are no dialogues or story per se.

Several students spend their last days of high school in a cheerful and musical atmosphere. Petrica and 'Sunny Smile', who has become a fairy tale princess in the meantime, find their way back to each other, from the real world to the dream one and the other way around, in order to meet their love halfway between the two realms.

In a Transylvanian village, a pastor tries to convert a local peasant to his religion, for personal interests.

At a swanky hotel in a Black Sea resort, Gogu, one of the hotel employees, meets his uncle Marin, an Oltenian peasant who has come to visit. Gogu says he can sneak Marin into the hotel, as one of the rooms is empty awaiting the arrival of an American billionaire, Mr. Juvett. Marin is amazed by the revealing clothing worn by women at the resort, while the hotel guests are fascinated by his quaint peasant costume. In the hotel room, Marin is perplexed by the various gadgets. Meanwhile, the gangsters learn that Juvett has arrived at the hotel. Juvett is the father of the kidnapped girl, and is coming to pass over a million dollar ransom. A rival gang, who know about the kidnapping, plan to take the ransom for themselves. They follow Marin, believing him to be Juvett.

"Revansa" (Revenge) appeared not so long after the preview movie of the series, "Un comisar acuza" (The Police Inspector Calls). In this sequel we meet up with police inspector Tudor Moldovan, once again, who wasn't actually killed and who has returned to put an end to Paraipan's actions once and for all. When Paraipan kidnaps Moldovan's kid, the police inspector makes up his mind to punish Paraipan and his bosses and to finish off the fascist movement, lead by Zavoianu and his allies. Together with the communist that fight to gain power, Moldovan takes out his enemies one by one.

Three young man run in the rain with a borrowed car. The first accident, whose victim is a girl, gives the signal for a race through the city to escape the police crews. Race ends tragically, with another serious incident, even one victim is involved. The only way out is escape. The film shows the psychological transformation of fugitives, in their desperate attempt to evade the consequences and pressures of their conscience.

A harsh colonel of paratroopers neglects his family after falling in love with a chess player, the sister of one of his paratroopers that got injured because of the jumping punishment given by him.

Filmed exclusively outdoors, without dialogues, 'Life in Pink' presents a mysterious pursuit between two young handsome men. Their motivation is not clear, nor the type of relationship they have, nor whether they knew each other beforehand or not. But there's a certain fascination between them, even a possible attraction, one of an erotic nature.

A prosecutor, policemen and teacher bring the students Vuica and Nicu to a restaurant to re-enact their drunken brawl there, and have it filmed to show the effects of alcoholism.

A newly hired engineer is also an amateur boxing star. He also dreams of becoming an actor. He is pushed in different directions, he also wants to get married.

In the fall, under the sign of Virgo, in a Dobrogea village, the harvest festival is in progress. An amateur troupe is playing a scene with Afrodite, Dionysos and Neptune; but also dome old shamanic dances. Dița and Dionis are preparing for wedding. But the sins of their parents will weigh heavily on them.

Fanita, a young man desirous to earn money as a result of personals initiatives, will fail in all these businesses , is ultimately convinced to enter in the Agricultural Production Comradeship or Community from his village.