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“It's a movie that seems simple, yet its subtle and brilliant complexity is not to be denied.” - San Francisco Chronicle
With its title referring to the exact time dictator Nicolae Ceausescu fled Romania's presidential palace on 22 December 1989, 12.08 East of Bucharest cleverly looks, with a sly wink, at the aftermath of a revolution - most notably the skewed recollection of events by different people.
On the eve of the revolution's anniversary a second-rate television talk show host recruits two average Romanians to debate the topic of the night: did the revolution happen in their town, or not?
Winner of the Caméra d'Or at Cannes 2006, Corneliu Porumboiu's debut feature is a comedic, razor-sharp critique of the nature of memory and accepted histories.
D/P/S Corneliu Porumboiu WS Coproduction Office L Romanian w/English subtitles TD 35mm/2006/89mins