Graduation??? like KANYE!!!!!!!

This movie lost me. I don't know but Idon't like how they act, how they present.

Targeted by vandals, involved in an affair that is a secret to nobody, immersed in a corruption scandal, and coping with the aftermath of an assault on his daughter that could jeopardize her scholarship to Cambridge, Romeo, a well-respected doctor at a Romanian hospital, is having difficulty juggling his scruples. Cristian Mungiu's Graduation is, primarily, about the sacrifices a parent will make for their child and the principles that they are willing to abandon. Like Mungiu's 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days from a decade earlier, what makes Graduation work is the fact that it feels real – understated but solid performances, effective handheld camerawork and long takes that make you feel like part of the experience, and some wonderfully natural dialogue. Arguably, this could be Mungiu's best film to date.

This is a relatively slow (plot wise) film and it felt frustating in terms of waiting to see what the future for the young girl would turn out to be. There are undoubtedly numerous unanswered questions but it does raise some valid points and, more than anything else, its about the parents role in adolescents - doing what is right for them above all else. There are some red herrings I suppose but it was an interesting and somewhat thought provoking watch, its just a bit slow paced and a little lacking in overall substance perhaps. This is not a bad film but it isn't great either - I thought its an ok, thoughtful film. Depending on your taste in film, you may or may not enjoy this, frankly. Its worth considering watching though.

Graduation is another masterly work from the Romanian director Cristian Mungiu. He yet again shows his great skill to build drama out of ordinary human situations. Set in a small Romanian city we follow a family that is seemingly in balance but a series of events set them on a path of social upheaval and dilemmas. Romeo is the father and doctor, his wife suffers through a pained marriage and they have a daughter in Eliza. Eliza is a gifted student and if she succeeds in her exams she has the opportunity to go to Cambridge University. Romeo regrets not leaving his country and sees this as a great chance for his daughter to leave and succeed. But she is assaulted before the exams and she can't complete them. Romeo tries to fix the system on her behalf but it sets off a chain of events with dire consequences. This a quietly superb film that is focused on small details but shines a light on much bigger ideas. The decay in society. The dilemma of cheating the system. Moral obligations. It does it all in a very skillful and masterly way.

An intelligent and well crafted film that could have used some closure regarding the fates of its' characters.

It's nice to have a peek at Romanian Cinema sometime.

This movie has everything that made James Joyce a great writer. On top of that, it explores a deep ethical question without sounding pedantic. Excellent down to every minute detail.

Spectacular movie that has some memorable moments and its plot is quite driving.

"How I should behave?" - "It's complicated": it is indeed, and this powerful film will show you why. Right and wrong, morality, good and bad intentions... everything is divided by a thin line and how should we behave it is complicated, but it's up to us. Not the easiest watch, but a very good and rewarding one.

The style of filmmaking fits perfectly with the dialogue, concerning societal moral issues.

8.5/10 Realistic, grounded, smart and ambiguous. Writer-director Cristian Mungiu comes through with a hard hitting drama that deals with it's touchy subjects like real people do, with care, doubt and, to some degree, fear, making a real statement on the politics of life. The cinematography alone is worth the price of admission, the blocking and staging tell a full story by themselves (the lineup scene is a directing class by itself) never taking away from the performances. An overall engaging and thought provoking movie.

I m really not sure why this movie received the best director award. I speak the language and i found the acting flat, un moving. The cinematography lacks creativity so is the editing. I left Romania 25 years ago but I cant recall life being as miserable as this movie portray. It is a poor representation of the country and the doctor's dialogue is appaling. I stoped watching after an hour.

I just watched Graduation and it left a strong impression on me, just as 4 Months (also directed by Cristian Mungiu) did a few years back when I watched it. They are both courageous and honest movies that remind you that your fellow humans' lives are many times like sails in the wind, too.

Graduation (Bacalaureat) is a Romanian Drama about a man trying to disregard all of the misfortunes around him, but instead focuses on his daughter. The writing and cast is great but there were a couple exposition scene that dragged on and could've cut out some of the unnecessary details, and there were a few scenes that felt like the actors weren't really trying their best but they were still good. Graduation is still a great foreign drama. 8.5/10

Cristian Mungiu is always up to interesting stuff. While "4,3,2" was bleek and devastating, "Beyond the Hills" was a bit more complex and interesting, this film must can be described as more as a grinder with superb development, with the parent role in focus. A doctor and familyman is having his daughter up for some exams. She must nail them so she can get into school outside Romania, this is important - especially for Romeo, our man. She get's rape attempted the day before one of them, so she is naturally shooked up. Romeo knows people so he tries to get some help from the outside - cheating, to put it easy. This leads to a story with many pointers. The investigation, the exames, the daughter's boyfriend, some wife cheating among other things. It moves on into something big, slowly opening up new cans of worms, new problems. Observerable film that's very rewarding. An excellent pace make sure you stick to the film and it's story and amazing performances lifts it a whole lot. The looks of it is great and it reminds me a bit of "Caché", but not as intense or with a psychological aspect. A film that feels realistic as it digs into roles, expanding problems and making solutions. 8 out of 10 marbles.

So far, my Favorite film of the year

Cristian Mungiu is a very fine craftsman indeed.

Graduation is a Romanian film written and directed by Cristian Mungiu about a soon-to-be high school graduate, Sofia (Maria-Victoria Dragus), whose dreams of going off to study in the UK on a scholarship are thwarted when she is sexually harassed the day before the final test and unable to properly complete it. Her father, Romeo (Adrian Titieni), in light of the inherent corruption in his daughter being not allowed to make up the test, fights back with corruption, putting aside his own morals and everything he has taught his daughter. This is a fascinating study of moral and ethical choice, the idea to fight corruption with corruption. What makes this movie most fascinating is the made character, Romeo, who is obsessed with his daughter escaping Romania. Romania is a bad country in his eyes because of its corruption, and he fights for her to escape by adding to such corruption. He pays people off, asks for special favors, and all the while his daughter seems completely indifferent and barley lifts a finger. In fact, she hints at wanting to stay in Romania; then she can be with her boyfriend, who Romeo is mostly okay with until he suspects that he witnessed the harassment of his daughter and did nothing about it, to the point of physically harassing him. Corruption is fought with corruption, harassment is fought with harassment. Rocks are thrown at the man's window and windshield in the course of the film, and we see him run to try and catch the perpetrator, but never catch them. In the same way, he never is able to use corruption to force his daughter's hand into college, and he never is able to harass people enough to find out who harassed his daughter. There is a beautiful scene towards the end of the film where he is watching his mistress's kid at the playground. Another kid cuts in front of him, so the kid throws a rock at him. Romeo brings him over and scolds him; he says he knows that what that kid did was wrong, but that doesn't mean he fights back by doing something wrong too. Maybe he is hypocritical, or maybe he has learned throughout the course of the film that he is always unsuccessful being unethical, and ends up digging a deeper hole for himself; his wife finds out about his mistress and his marriage collapses, the police get involved when they begin looking into some "favors" that were done for him. This man's only investment is his daughter; he has lost hope for his own life. But his daughter objects to practices that her father taught her was unethical her entire life; she would rather stay in Romania than cheat to get out. The moral conflicts, obsession, and loss of hope are all explored to their extreme, and all in very interesting ways. But after all, as Romeo says, in life, it is the result that counts. -- Rating: 4/4

Graduation is a very realistic drama about a family dealing with compromises after their daughter's attempted rape and assault. All of the performances are great. It feels like hidden cameras were placed around a family for a week and was edited to become this film. That is how realistic and believable this film is. Although, it does have too many useless scenes that are only included to add to the message and theme, but end up detracting from the story and slowing down the pacing.