Boogie | Review

Amid the backdrop of a lifeless seaside resort town comes a rather, unwelcoming portrait of eastern bloc styled generation-X blues. In recent festival editions of the Cannes film fest, Romanian cinema has been synonymous with critically appraising the long term effects of the old communist guard (a.k.a Ceausescu era), but with Boogie we move back and forth between not really saying anything at all, or simply affirming that the current state of affairs is a false dichotomy to begin with. Radu Muntean’s third feature film has contempt towards a generation of men who are apparently so lost that their only sense of empowerment or rebellion is tied to taking zero accountability for their current status and acting on impulse. With a narrative that feels undernourished thanks to long takes, an obtrusive hand-held camera aesthetic and unlikable characters, this paints no figure in a favorable light.

Weighed down by playing the father, husband and the bread winner role, a 30-something protag (played by Dragos Bucur) would probably not waver from the vacation he had originally planned if it weren’t for the sudden realization that a responsibility-free life exists for others, and can momentarily be had with the only price to pay is from opening one’s wallet. Of course, before shelling out the local currency, trio Alex Baciu, Razvan Radulescu and Muntean’s script injects a reunion with a pair of long lost buddies, a small fight between him and his cranky, tired wife – all to be played out a little like the behavior that Tom Cruise’s character in Eyes Wide Shut might employ. The script embeds the main character with a sense of nostalgia — old stomping grounds of a Black Sea town sees Bodgan (or going by the legendary heyday name Boogie) finding that his buds haven’t changed much — or in capitalist society terms haven’t progressed. In a subtle sequence, Muntean expertly captures that initial tease – the moment where Boogie admires youth and wishes he was part of it. Taking place next to a demolished sand castle (perhaps acting as a metaphor for the foundation not being on solid ground), the background corner of the frame picks up on the youthful spirit, while the foreground presents a Boogie who’ll be even more frustrated once he encounters a tired and cranky wife.

Part of the handheld, long take, low budget styled cinema that borrows mimics realism, this slow-moving portrait contains a protagonist who is emotionally impaled by the wife, kid, work, car payments scenario. Even more of a puzzle is that with the fissure comes no affirmation of it from Boogie’s part – while suggesting he might be missing out on something, Muntean’s life is life answer. Worst yet, Muntean loses sight of this character towards the final half of the film – audiences will find it hard to latch onto this character, and Anamaria Marinca who had one of last year’s most memorable roles in 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days seems to get table scraps with this unchallenging part. In a pacing that allows for a more meditative approach, Boogie is a dragged out exercise of a grown up boy without a tale between his legs with no payoffs.

Reviewed at 2008 Cannes Film Festival (Section: Director’s Fortnight)

May 16th 2008.

102 Minutes

Rating 1.5 stars