No Ordinary Fool

Allegedly born of a criticism that recent films about Romania’s Communist era were better suited to garnering international plaudits than to audience enjoyment, Cristian Mungiu wrote this anthology of short films based on actual urban legends from the country’s so-called “golden age” during the 1980s. Of course, despite such State propaganda, life in Romania was really quite difficult and such humorous anecdotes were one way of making life a little more bearable.

In total, Mungiu wrote six stories. However, they are not all shown together, as a symbolic reflection of life at the time, i.e. you never knew what would be on the shop shelves, etc. from one day to the next. In the version released in Ireland (at least), there are five stories included, each helmed by a different director. They are done in a tongue-in-cheek style and show different aspects of how people tried to survive under a repressive, corrupt, and failed regime.

For example, the first legend is set in a remote village that is frantically preparing for a drive-through by some Party bigwigs. While there is a cheesy contrivance to the manner in which the denouement gets set up, it still ends with a delightful piece of authoritarianism gone mad.

This is followed by a depiction of chaos at the State newspaper when all of the photographs of General Secretary Ceauşescu with French President Giscard d’Estaing reveal him to be bareheaded. This is a serious breach of Party protocol, as it makes him look respectful of his foreign guest. Again, the bureaucratic system is nicely lampooned here, as well as the system’s penchant for media manipulation.

The third film tells the tale of what happens to a truck driver who breaks the rules after discovering that eggs may be the way to a certain woman’s heart. Focussing on everyday interactions between ordinary people, it is also the most thoughtfully photographed of the five.

Speaking of food, the next short is the cautionary tale of a family who try to discretely kill a pig that they do not wish to share with their hungry neighbours. The plot borders on slapstick at times, but the sight of the hairy pig tied up on the living room floor while the family stare despairingly at it is a memorable one.

Finally, there is an anecdote about a would-be Bonnie and Clyde who steal “bottles of air” from credulous apartment dwellers. Feeling like the longest of the five, it is also the most disappointing. Namely, despite the intriguing hook of how their caper is described, the ending does peter out rather badly.

On the whole, Tales From The Golden Age is a touch too long and the conventional plotting and frequently hackneyed jokes do lessen its satirical impact. However, following some of the more high-minded films to have come from the country’s current crop of directors, the change of pace is a welcome addition to a highly worthy canon of work.