User Reviews

Society has always been depraved and almost worthless in its general aspects. Now, to look at how people behave during a detention-like state is even more interesting, which swiftly brings me to the following affirmation: living under a dictatorship draws a clear distinction between the elite and the rest. It elevates true values, which unfortunately have to be kept under secrecy due to the paranoid mentality of the government. But the beauty of it, the absolute splendor is to see how these courageous people come together, despite having to sacrifice and risk a lot. I suppose people with similar traits are drawn to one another out of pure instinct.

"Balanta" portrays the destiny of two people who daringly oppose the regime, not for their own fate, but for the fate of those around them who deserve it. Their brave madness is shockingly amusing and thrives within the viewer. Even though playing against the rules can be very tricky, if done according to the (unwritten) book, it can prove extremely rewarding, especially for the spirit. Despite its sometimes eye-brow raising dialogue, Maia Morgenstern and Razvan Vasilescu scratch up reasonably good and humorous performances, pumping adrenaline into the film itself.

The movie is an awe-inspiring tribute to those who could(can) simply not adapt to the nearly psychotic way of life lead by many under totalitarian regimes. Pintile cleverly points out the discrepancies between "actual" normality and the state of things during times when normal becomes strangely unfamiliar. "Balanta" is a worthy picture, especially given its controversial nature.

This film would have been one of the greatest ever if only the actors spoke more naturally! It's extremely strange to hear such talented actors (Maia Morgenstern, Razvan Dumitrescu and a few others) throw their lines with almost the same intonation every time. I don't know how the great director Pintilie accepted that (or is there some 'hidden' symbol in that?). First I have read the excellent novel by Ion Baiesu (one of my favorite authors when it comes to humor), and I was thrilled by its real feel, biting satire and cruel situations. It has memorable characters and formidable dark humor. So the film was a little disappointing for me, but it's still a 'must re-watch' any time. A special note for the cameos by Victor Rebengiuc and Dorel Visan, two of the best actors I've ever seen.

Released in 1992, three years after the fall of Ceausescu's regime in Romania, The Oak was the first film written and directed by the acclaimed director Lucian Pintilie upon his return home after many years of exile in France. Drawing on the brutal, absurd reality of a poverty-stricken Romanian society, the film depicts the story of Nela (Maia Morgenstern), a young schoolteacher pained by the recent death of her father, as she leaves home to take a low-paid job in a desolate small town outside Bucharest. Gang-raped by the locals and treated with contempt by the Communist authorities, she finds compassion and love in her relationship with Mitica (Razvan Vasilescu), a sardonic but good-hearted doctor at the local hospital. Deemed as the first world-wide smashing success of Romanian cinematography after 1989, the film uses both dark humor and gritty realism to ponder on the ethical dimensions of personal and collective values in the wake of the collapse of communism.

This is the opposite of a Hollywood movie. This is a piece of reality and there is nothing glamorous about it. That's what makes "The Oak" a great movie, an experience to remember.

I am Romanian and I avoided this movie when I was in Romania, because of its subject. Last weekend, I found it in a video store in Seattle and I had to rent it. I am very glad I did and recommend it to all the European film lovers. It will give you an idea (in case you didn't experience it yourself) of what living under the communism meant, with all the pain, frustration and the happier moments.

Actually the Romanian title of the movie would be "Balance" or "Scales" or "Steel Yard", pick the word most appropriate to your liking for the weight measuring gadget. The international titles (The Oak, la Chene) are linked to the last scene of the movie that metaphorically wraps up significations. The main characters have found the long sought, yet not traceable balance, equilibrium.

Why did I say that it depicts humiliation of intelligence and culture? In communist Romania people that graduated university or college were repartitioned to a job matching their studies. Only the luckiest got a repartition in a large city. Others were summoned for life in hamlets, as you could not promote or change your repartition unless joining the Party. That's the case with the leading character (Maia Morgenstern) that graduated Psichology in Paris, and was repartitioned in Copsa Mica, the most polluted city in Romania.

The caravan of insults starts with the train journey to her new work place. She is forced to switch trains in the night, take her clothes off in the presence of strangers, and ride 400 km standing in an overcrowded train. As she reaches Copsa Mica some people try to rape her, police torture and threaten her, and so on.

To certify the adage that special people congregate the Psichology graduate meets a funky doctor, that manages to elude the system by being some kind of a joker. Then the rejoicing begins as these 2 people get to know each other.

When they decide under the oak tree to give birth to a child she says: "I pray he won't be normal" and he responds "If he'll be normal I'll kill him with my own hands." For these two people being "normal" meant the supreme course. Everybody around was dull, normal and communist. Enjoy!

The second Pintilie movie I have seen recently (thanks to Duna TV) and even better than the previous one (O Vara de neuitat): a great movie indeed! This is the Romanian version of Kusturica's Underground, or perhaps I should I say the opposite, since Balanta is actually an earlier piece. The fast-paced, furious story packed with bitter irony and surrealistic moments (well, the closer you live to the country, the less surrealistic they are: comments from people living in Ceausescu's Romania state that the film has nothing "unreal" in it) captures the essence of one of the darker dictatorships of the former Communist Bloc, where the harshness of oppression is softened only by the corruption of the society. Just like Kusturica in Underground, Pintilie presents a very critical picture of the society but at the same time he clearly shows his sympathy towards his suffering but talented and charming nation. All in all: stunning pictures, perfect acting and shocking scenes combine in Balanta for a perfect piece of cinema.

I' give'it a ten because character Mitica is based on a real life person that happens to be my father(not biological but the person who raised me). My father is a urological surgeon that never took money from his patients (I know sounds unrealistic especially for Romania, but is true). One of his patients was Ion Baiesu, who was really impressed by him so he wrote the short novel "thirty-eight point two" and dedicated him. Also the movie "Mere Rosii" (red apples) is about my father.

If you want to know more just e-mail me at Whitenight2mw on yahoo.

Soryy if my grammar isn't so good.

At the time I read the book the film is based on, it was a reflection of the reality surrounding us, in Romania, therefore after the first print it was banned by the Ceausescu's communist regime. As time went by, I emigrated in the US, and seen the movie 10 years after I've read the book and although the movie supposedly is a fiction, it played like a documentary in front of my eyes. It is hard, as a Romanian, to disconnect from my personal experiences, but if anybody is interested in what the communism in Romania was like, this movie is the way to find out. The tragic and the comedy are coming together to weave the fabric of a society so sick, that life becomes surreal. For my money this is a great movie, the fresco of a society governed by rules unknown to civilization.

Lucian Pintilie finds a remarkable balance between bitter ironic comedy and unflinching political analysis in this breathtaking film. This is a key work in the "post cold war" era that should be seen by anyone who really appreciates the art and craft of cinema. This is a narrative of our time, told with bold, brave abandoned. The screenplay is one of the best of the 1990's and the performances are flawless. The film's actual rootedness in Romainian politics and culture is refreshing in an era of often compromised Euro-co-productions. It is this specificity that actually opens the door to "universal" themes and values.

The cinematography is terrible, the editing is weak and it's a very disjointed movie. Acting is below par. It doesn't pull in. I watched with big hopes but this movie is disappoint for me. 2/10.

For a Romanian who has fled Ceausescu's brutality in 1985,this film is not only a revenge but also a proof that even in the darkest political system talent can survive because everyone who is implicated in the creation of this masterpiece(director,screenwriters,actors,crew grew,studied and worked in the "socialist paradise". I have seen the film twice; at first I was a little shocked by its "naturalism" and only later I realized that this was the life for at least 90% of the Romanians. Of course only somebody who grew in a communist country can fully appreciate the film's realism,its brutal black humor but I think the real message transcends this : one must fight for his ideals,there is always hope!

This is definitely one of the best politically themed film of the 90s , dealing with post cold war reality in Central and Eastern Europe. LE CHENE brilliantly exposes a broad range of those realities. I couldn't say it better than the previous comment or add anything important. LE CHENE totally reflects the reality I saw there during a two week trip to Bucharest and Transylvania last June. See it.

I picked this movie out of curiosity at the Locarno film festival and was deeply touched by it's vibrant sincerity, the display of such a life-affirming power in an almost morbid surrounding and the tight final blink of hope. Saw it again in a small art-house cinema without any loss of this strong impression. Anything else is being said in the above comments, except that it is a shame that you hardly can get this movie anywhere, nor other works of this romanian genius L. Pintilie. Hints welcome. It makes a huge contrast to many disappointing experiences with "award"-laden movies of the well-established breed, garnished with acclaim which you find out are absolutely pointless. I consider myself not being prone to applaud art-house for art-house's sake though. This is a too-well hidden jewel.

Pintilie's "The Oak" was director's first film after returning from exile and the first great Eastern European film of the post-communist era. One could sense director's hunger for making a film ( the last one he made, the equally sarcastic "Scenes of Carnival" a.k.a "De ce trag clopotele, Mitica?" was made over 10 years before "The Oak" and was promptly banned ), and Pintilie gave it his best. The acting, as always with the director, is wonderful and there are immages one would never forget. Best seen on the big screen, although a DVD is announced in France for March 2004.

Note that there are two versions of this film, the international version being some 20 minutes shorter than the one seen in Romania.

I saw this movie on the recommendation of a friend and I'll have to say that it was a good choice. He comes from Romania and he said this pretty much sums up the Romanian experience before the fall of the Commies. Now after seeing this movie, I have a vague idea of where he is coming from. That being said, my review of the movie:

I really enjoyed this movie. It had a dark humor that you don't find too much anymore. It portrayed a society that as an American I find it hard to understand. I can't imagine life where you fall under surveillance. I also can't imagine a society where you can't get your medical needs taken care of. This movie was an excellent character study at any rate. I would recommend it to non-Romanians.

I was never one for Romanian movies, actually I think that this was the first one I ever watched until the very end. I mean, all of the movies made in Romania look the same, don't they? Washed out colors, some nudity, stuff about Ceausescu, a lot of profanity and rarely any humour. Well, what I didn't know before watching this movie was that it was the mother of them all! This is the movie that practically invented all of these cliches, through the genius of Lucian Pintilie. Sarcastic, sad, bitter, smart, funny, macabre, cutting - it's one of the best movies I've ever seen! And the acting... well, I had really high expectations of all the cast and they all came through. Especially Maia Morgenstern (she's a goddess!)...

I've watched the first twenty minutes or so of the movie and i stopped. I simply couldn't bear watching the rest of it. I wanted to scream: 'the horror, the horror!' I am Romanian and I had the misfortune of experiencing the oppression of the communist regime with all its '2-hour TV programme, Ceausescu's speeches, cold apartments, endless queues for scraps of food, poor clothing, the security, people being afraid to talk freely etc.' Nevertheless, I never laid eyes on such brutal realities as this movies depicts. A work of art is supposed to produce the so called 'katharsis', that is, turn all the ugliness, fear and violence into something beautiful and above all meaningful. This movie only grotesquely pictures misery, abuse and hatred of life. No touch of humour or tenderness as rendered by Kusturica (who managed to find and graciously reveal universal values and emotions in the dirty, wrinkled faces of the gypsies). Somehow, Pintilie succeeded in eluding everything spiritual, cutting out all that makes a human being worth living on this earth. This movie only leaves you with disgust.

It is hard to believe that there is a script out there as worst as this one. It's like the writer was a four years old suffering from multiple and serious mental disorders.

The acting part done by Maia Morgenstern is so overrated. Every gesture, every word is over-dramatically performed to such an extent that 99% of the people would bet that she has no acting training what so ever.

I am sorry I lost my time on this sad ... thing

I saw Balanta many times and every time I see it it's a big surprise for me. It's all about the happy-sad people in Romania that I miss that much. I highly recommend it. It's a 1000 points movie.

Lucian Pintilie's movie , Balanta, is probably the milestone of Romanian cinematography.. The movie depicts a piece of the cruel reality of the communist era in Romania.Pintilie redefines normality. The two characters, Mitica and Nela challenge the communist way of thinking and the rottenness and degradation of humanity under dictatorship. They are shouting in a silent world.

The tragic aspect of reality- the grey Romania filled with beggars, rapers; the death of Titi, the Utopian; the polluted city- is somehow balanced by its very opposite. The Romanian man is portrayed as optimistic, always enjoying life and a glass of red wine, finding his refuge in songs and laughter.

The end of the movie is fascinating. The last scene, the oak scene( a metaphor for the beginning of the world and a symbol of the Romanian resistance, shows the couple- Mitica and Nela planning to give birth to a child. A good movie!

This movie does not deserve one star. But compared with the regular Romanian production this is quite a good one.

This is not a fable. This is not a fantastic story. This is junk. And the fable is in the audience. This way an unsure trembling voice becomes THE GREAT ROMANIAN ACTING. A silly sequence of acts becomes A GREAT ROMANIAN PARABLE. A loser that goes away from his homeland, becomes even a lower kind of loser, comes back with his tail between his legs and becomes A GREAT ROMANIAN DIRECTOR. Incapacity to make a credible story A GREAT ROMANIAN FABLE. A romantic view of virtual concept of country and nation REALISM.

The director has no clothes!

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Great, genuine acting! It's extremely difficult to play low-life characters. All those actors are polished-class intellectuals. To sink to such a depraved life of the characters they played required great theatrical skills. Bravo!

The most romanian movie u'll ever watch. trust me.