Porumboiu keeps his perspective: calm but not impassive, skeptical but not cynical, he reinforces an air of normalcy and an essential fearlessness that characterize life since the fall of the tyrant.

| Jul 5, 2023

...12:08 East Of Bucharest doesn't pretend to have a position on the fallout of the Romanian Revolution. Instead it contends that different questions need to be asked and considered about post-Communist life...

| Original Score: A | Dec 7, 2013

| Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 17, 2011

| Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 7, 2007

Dry comedies from eastern Europe tend to cast a skeptical eye on anything and everything, which is certainly the case with Corneliu Porumboiu's debut feature.

| Dec 4, 2007

12:08 East of Bucharest is easier to admire than enjoy, funnier to describe than actually watch.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Nov 30, 2007

The movie provokes low-key laughs (yes, it's a comedy), but with a sad overtone.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 12, 2007

Dryly funny throughout its first half, the film truly comes to life in its final 45 minutes.

| Oct 6, 2007

Porumboiu's satire about history and short memories is a modest, deadpan masterpiece.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/6 | Oct 6, 2007

You will laugh till the streetlights blink on again in the damp Romanian twilight.

Full Review | Oct 6, 2007

While 12:08 East of Bucharest could take more than one viewing to truly appreciate, it's worth the commitment.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 6, 2007

Porumboiu's minimalist approach concentrates the movie's focus on its mournful characters, so disillusioned with their post-Communist life they question the history that led to it.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Sep 28, 2007

The self-indulgent 12:08 East of Bucharest certainly takes its time getting to the point. In fact, the first third of this film could have been trimmed without much damage. And this Romanian comedy-drama is only an hour and a half in length.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Sep 27, 2007

12:08 East of Bucharest cleverly takes on the aftermath of the December 1989 revolution in Romania that resulted in the overthrow of Nicolae Ceaucescu. It's a movie that seems simple, yet its subtle and brilliant complexity is not to be denied.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Sep 14, 2007

The film leaves off on a perfect note of hopeful melancholy.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Sep 13, 2007

Human, savvy, funny, well observed; kudos to director Porumboiu for making something from nothing

| Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 23, 2007

Extremely clever filmmaking--sharp and very funny, but also challenging and packed with relevance.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 17, 2007

The only problem with the new Romanian cinema seems to be titles few can easily remember - but some eccentricity is permissible when the films are so good.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 17, 2007

A melancholy rumination on the failed hopes of Eastern Europe after the Cold War, infused with a sense of farce and the irrecoverable nature of the past.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 17, 2007

A terrifically droll and slyly incisive comedy.

| Aug 17, 2007