12:08 East of Bucharest received great accolades at Cannes and it deserved them all. This is cinema for those that love cinema and may not go over as easily to those that would rather watch a more mainstream film that doesn't make you think at all.

Its the 22nd of December. 16 years have passed since the revolution and in a small town Christmas is about to come. Piscoci, an old retired man is preparing for another Christmas alone. Manescu, the history teacher tries to keep up with his debts. Jderescu, the owner of a local television post, seems to not be so interested in the upcoming holidays. For him, the time to face history has come. Along with Manescu and Piscoci he is trying to answer himself to a question which for 16 years doesn't have an answer : "Was it or wasn't it a revolution in their town?" Don't be fooled by this being a comedy as it is also an important piece of cinema that raises the questions on the "Romanian Revolution". The film opens with shots of a small town in winter, every seems bleak and set begins a perfect set-up to the film's over-all message. The main character's are few but each is well-developed and important to the film. I can imagine life must be tough in Romanian for some, seems it's a struggle just living day to day. Director Corneliu Porumboiu paints a story that is meaningful, colorful and very funny at times while still dealing with the question at hand. The cast is terrific, each playing a character that is engaging and rich and the scenery really adds to the film's mood. I have to say I was delighted to see this film before even watching it but afterwards I have to see this is an important film for those that do not know anything about Romanian history and it's it's a clever and very funny movie that deals with a tough subject in a way that does not offend those that may of lived it yet keeping the film highly entertaining. I look forward to more project's from this remarkable Director and even more film's from Romania itself. The DVD comes with a Director's commentary and a trailer as well as English and Spanish subtitles.Released by Tartan Video. **** Out Of *****