Search The Archive
"It is a study of time and art: a director trying to prove to his father that [they] are inextricably interlinked. Herein lies the genius of The Second Game." – East European Film Bulletin
In 1988, a year before the revolution that toppled Nicolae Ceauşescu and despite political intimidation and threats of violence, Adrian Porumboiu refereed a soccer game between Romania's two leading teams, as heavy snow fell over the Bucharest playing field. In 2013, Adrian watches a VHS tape of the original television broadcast with his son, filmmaker Corneliu, as the two provide their own special commentary.
The unique presentation of The Second Game further dismantles the definition of documentary: the entire film shows the game from start to finish as father and son comment over it. That's it. But it's a testament to director Corneliu's cinematic vision that he is able to use a straightforward soccer game as an intriguing and entertaining metaphor for the country's fortunes.
A key figure in the Romanian New Wave and a Cannes Caméra d'Or winner (for 12:08 East of Bucharest, MIFF 2006), Corneliu Porumboiu's When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism is also playing at this year's festival.
"Playful, poetic, and mesmerizing … The Second Game shows us how a space so un-cinematic can be made just the opposite." – MUBI Notebook