We inaugurate the new Films in Frame website and this glorious autumn weekend not with three, but with six film recommendations to be watched in cinemas in Bucharest. Since this weekend is full of premieres and, of course, let’s not forget about Animest, which is still on.

That doesn’t mean I will leave out those who want to stay at home (or those who aren’t in Bucharest), so I’ve prepared four films that can be watched on TV for them.

Okay, good, let’s start:

TO BE WATCHED IN CINEMAS:

Emigrant Blues: a 2½-chapter road movie (dir. Claudiu Mitcu, Mihai Mincan; documentary) – A 55 hours journey, from Bucharest to Madrid, in a bus packed with Romanians who are traveling thousands of kilometers to and from their new home. The final trip of a Romanian to his native country, in the back of a hearse, with two Romanian undertakers. Three fragments from the lives of people who are dreaming about the day they will return home, but are too scared to completely reset, once again, their whole lives.

Emigrant Blues can be watched in premiere on Friday at Union Cinema, but also on Saturday and Sunday. The program can be found here.

The Green Cat (dir. Constantinescu Narcis; mystery) – The story follows a renowned detective reverting from retirement to resolve one final case, a personal case of great complexity: a simple Saturday night that changed the lives of six teenagers forever. Putting the puzzle pieces together will bring out the truth.

The film also premieres on Friday, October 11th, at Cinema City AFI Cotroceni. But you can watch it during all weekend, that is Saturday and Sunday.

Marona’s Fantastic Tale (dir. Anca Damian; animation) – Marona’s Fantastic Tale is a modern tale about unconditional love and sacrifice. The little dog, with a heart-shaped nose, born from a love story between a Dogo Argentino and an attractive half-breed, leaves deep marks in the lives of the masters who, one by one, receive her in their families.

The film opened the 14th edition of Animest International Animation Festival, but if you didn’t get to watch it then, no problem. The animation can also be watched on Friday, October 11th, at Cinema Elvire Popesco, at 5pm. Tickets here.

Mo (dir. Radu Dragomir; drama) – Mo and her best friend are caught cheating during exam by the toughest professor in the university. After Mo asks him for a second chance, the professor invites them to his place. Here, the students will have to pass an unexpected examination. It’s all fun and games, until Mo loses control.

The film can be watched throughout the weekend at Movieplex Cinema. Details here.

Joker (dir. Todd Phillips; murder, drama) – You probably already know about this movie; everyone is talking about it. Joker’s original and unprecedented action revolves around one of the most controversial negative characters in the DC universe. The result is a study of a character despised by society who becomes more than just a dark social case; a sanctimonious story as well.

The movie can be watched throughout this weekend in multiple cinemas – Grand Cinema & More, Movieplex and Happy Cinema Liberty Mall. Tickets can be purchased here.

And now we interrupt our usual program for three fun facts about Joker, which I thought were worth sharing:

1. Joaquin Phoenix called perfecting the Joker’s laugh the toughest part of playing the character.

2. Joaquin Phoenix based his laugh on “videos of people suffering from pathological laughter.”

3. Joaquin Phoenix lost a lot of weight for his role as the Joker. It was so serious that filming could only be done once, with no opportunity for reshoots. Todd Phillips had to write the script during production.

La Gomera / The Whistlers (dir. Corneliu Porumboiu; action, thriller) – La Gomera needs no further introduction as well, you probably already know that Corneliu Porumboiu’s latest film is Romania’s proposal for an Oscar 2020 nomination. Cristi, a Romanian police officer who is a whistleblower for mafia, is going to La Gomera Island to learn “El Sylbo”, an ancestral whistling language. In Romania he is under police surveillance and by using this coded language he will continue to communicate with the mobsters to get Zsolt out of prison. Zsolt is the only one who knows where 30 millions of euros are hidden.

If you want to find out more about La Gomera, I recommend our interview with Corneliu Porumboiu or our film review written by Flavia Dima.

La Gomera can be watched on Saturday, October 12th, at Union Cinema, at 8:30 pm.

Other than that, I recommend pretty much everything at Animest, one of my favorite festivals ever. The entire program can be found here (pssst – on Friday is Creepy Animation Night and on Saturday we have the Award Ceremony).

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FEELING LAZY? HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN WATCH AT HOME:

One Step Behind the Seraphim (dir. Daniel Sandu; drama) – The film tells the story of Gabriel, a teenager who wants to become a priest and enters an Orthodox theological seminary. Initially, he tries to adapt to the environment, but eventually he realizes that the system is completely corrupt and abusive.

If you want to know more about this film, I recommend my interview with director Daniel Sandu or the film review by Cezar Gheorghe.

Newly released on HBO, the film can be watched again on Saturday, October 12th, at 8:50 am (so, of course, it’s only for the morning people).

Moromete Family: On the Edge of Time (dir. Stere Gulea; drama) – Moromete Family: On the Edge of Time continues the tale of Ilie Moromete and his family, this time focusing on his youngest son, Niculae. The entire world order of the village, where the most important thing is to own land and live as a peasant, changes with the Communist regime and their collectivization.

The film can be watched on HBO on Saturday at 6:40 pm, and on Sunday at 12:05 pm.

Somewhere in Palilula (dir. Silviu Purcărete; comedy) – Serafim, a fresh graduate of a medical school, is assigned for a short-term at the hospital in Palilula, a little town lost somewhere on the map of the country. A quarantine area, a sanatorium, an improbable hospital, a gynecological clinic in a settlement where no child is born. Palilula is a place where ridicule coexists with marvels, and the community is isolated for eternity in drunkenness, feasting and orgy. The film follows the journey of Dr. Serafim in Palilula, for several years and seasons.

The film airs on TV on Filmbox Arthouse on Saturday at 7:40 pm. If you don’t catch it on TV, no problem – Somewhere on the Palilula can be watched on CinePub anytime.

Charleston (dir. Andrei Crețulescu; drama) – A couple of weeks after his wife Ioana dies in a car crash, drunk and alone on the night he turns 42, Alexandru receives a visit. Sebastian, a shy, younger man, has been Ioana’s lover for the past five months … more or less. Charleston is the sweet-bitter story of an absurd love triangle, “made up” of two men and the woman they both lost.

The film airs on HBO on Sunday, starting 5:10 pm.

Ah, and by the way, five new episodes of Rick & Morty come out on Sunday, these definitely shouldn’t be missed out. And those who haven’t seen the show yet, what are you waiting for, friends?

Romina Banu

Photographer and editor; she co-founded Dissolved Magazine together with Melissa. For Films in Frame she gathers film and TV series recommendations for lazy weekends and she writes about interesting projects from the film industry. Other than that, she likes traveling, chilling with her cats and sleeping.