While his films may not get the widest of distribution here in the United States, Corneliu Porumboiu is a key figure in the Romanian New Wave with films like When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism, Police, Adjective, and 12:08 East of Bucharest. His latest feature, The Treasure, premiered at Cannes earlier this year and thankfully we don’t have to wait as long to see it as some of his other films. Ahead of a January release, the first trailer has now arrived, giving us a glimpse at the story which finds a father on a search for loot in his backyard.
We said in our review, “Though regularly grouped with the directors that comprise the Romanian New Wave, Corneliu Porumboiu’s brand of social realism is all his own. Dispensing with the shaky cam so popular amongst his peers, his fictional features capture the world through contemplative long takes, their duration and frequent immobility allowing for careful observations of the subjects’ relationship to their environment, which is always reflective of wider-reaching concerns. The Treasure, his fifth feature and the winner of this year’s Un Certain Talent Prize, is the latest gem in the director’s exquisite filmography — another tightly focused, minimalist and enchantingly humane story of individual struggle within the broader social reality of contemporary Romania.”
Check out the trailer and poster below (via The Playlist) for the film starring Toma Cuzin, Adrian Purcarescu, and Corneliu Cozmei.
Costi (33) leads a peaceful life. At night he likes to read his 6-year-old son stories, to help him sleep. Their favorite is Robin Hood. Costi sees himself as the hero – righter of wrongs and defender of the oppressed. One evening, his neighbor pays him an unexpected visit and shares a secret: there’s treasure buried in his grandparents’ garden, he’s sure of it. If Costi will hire a metal detector to help locate it, he’ll give him half of whatever they get. Skeptical at first, in the end Costi can’t resist. He’s on board. The two accomplices have one weekend to locate the loot. Despite every obstacle in their path, Costi refuses to be discouraged. For his wife and son, he’s a real hero – nothing and no one are going to stop him.
The Treasure opens in theaters and on VOD on January 8th.