Radu Muntean's brilliantly acted tale of adultery,
Tuesday, After Christmas, was shot in only 30 long takes whose form doesn't call attention to itself because the naturalistic drama is so compelling. The film begins almost in mid-story with a post-coital scene between the husband and his mistress, and sets up the approaching revelation and its aftermath with a precise, behaviorally convincing logic which is a tribute to Muntean's writing and extensive rehearsal with his actors. The remarkable Romanian New Wave seems to show no sign of flagging any time soon.
Alexsei Fedorchenko's
Silent Souls is a poetic miniature full of indelible images of northern Russia and the rituals of grief, eroticism, childhood memories and the longing for both a deceased wife and a vanishing culture and way of life. Some images brought to mind the tableau style of Paradjanov, and the overall mood struck me as one of serene melancholy.
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