27/29
Plot
During Romania's 1989 revolution, Sibiu witnesses a violent attack on a police station that spirals into armed clashes between soldiers, police, protesters and secret police
References Rocky (1976). 1.
This effect is also achieved through the rather close-on-the-action camera and sound focus / angles / framing / sound design during dialogue or action-centric scenes
Great Production'Freedom' or 'Libertate' (2023), directed by Tudor Giurgiu and produced by Oana Giurgiu is a rare gem among the few pieces of Romanian filmography that takes a look at the events that have unfolded in Romania in December 1989. The experience is supremely immersive in part thanks to the speedy and well thought out camera movements (as if you are one of the background characters witnessing the story take place) and the incredible sound design and effects (complementing through your sense of hearing, your presence during these events).
Lacking MessageThe other side of the coin here is what ended up feeling like an incomplete artistic vision on the part of the directing team
Everything, from the decor to the aftereffects, portrays a complete and profoundly immersive experience of the Revolution of '89 as seen from Sibiu, bringing about a feeling of 'Hollywood budget' production factor, for which the production team should be commended and which makes this movie a must-watch for all Romanians, especially those that have not lived through these events and would benefit immensely from adding this small point of reference to a vocabulary of insights on the history of their country.As far as the dialogue goes, the lines are beautifully savory, capturing the colorful vocabulary of the times and the spirit of the Romanian people through their language in the face of adversity (thanks in no small part to the flawless delivery if the actors and actresses). Sparkled with cliche-ic, modern, humorous moments here and there, the immersion is not broken and the overarching theme of the Romanian saying: "Facem haz de necaz" – or "Poking fun when in trouble" remains beautifully captured, something which the Romanian audience would clearly empathise with despite the colorless, hopeless and gruesome atmosphere.2.
Vaguely put, after exiting the cinema you are left with a confusing feeling of not completely understanding the message of the movie – as if being presented with a perfectly executed cake on a random Tuesday at 1300 and wondering to yourself what the occasion is
As other reviewers have put it, this movie is an exceptional radiography of the events that have unfolded in that period, but as with any radiography it necessitates a diagnostician that should walk the patient through the end result of a proper and digestible conclusion – perhaps not in the case of modern art, but for certain when it comes to historical movies. In the case of 'Libertate' the director's vision was either outshone by the focus on production and realism or diluted in the process, to the point where a viewer does not feel gently waltzed to an overarching message or concluding moral, as is usually the end goal of storytelling, regardless of medium.
This may be due in part to an intentional neutrality of the directing vision or an accidental oversight as a result on the focus on the story itself, the research, and its delivery
Conclusions can still be drawn, however, but may have been left uncomfortably much at the discretion and subjective experiences of the viewer who is this case, regardless of generation, is looking less for freedom of opinion and more for answers over what has actually happened in '89 and who is responsible for the many deaths that occurred.