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The rise of the New Romanian Cinema in a postcommunist country without a particularly vigorous film tradition has puzzled critics and audiences alike. Its roots have been traced to Cristi Puiu’s rebellion against his compatriots’ outdated assumption that cinema is an instrument of propaganda, denunciation, or entertainment. A detailed analysis of Puiu’s work, this book underscores the gradual evolution of his approach to cinema as a form of silent witnessing and a means of personal investigation and revelation. Each chapter revolves around one film, exploring the historical, cultural, and biographical circumstances that have inspired it, its thematic and aesthetic texture, and the director’s dynamic artistic philosophy. Working through the past, the emergence of the precariat classes and the perils they face, the troubled relationship between fathers and sons, or the question of authorship are important narrative threads. The book’s central argument is that Puiu’s preference for observational cinema derives both from his personal experience as a historical subject and from his deep conviction that the image on screen can trigger viewers’ epiphany of a sacred dimension of earthly existence. Cinema is a form of testimony/confession that can underscore people’s strong bonds to each other. The only condition is that the camera should remain faithful to the observed reality and reveal its own subjectivity.

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the essential works of Romanian cinema, ranging from the silent period to contemporary productions. It explains that, over the last decade, audiences worldwide have become familiar with highly acclaimed films from the Romanian New Wave such as 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007), The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005), and 12:08 East of Bucharest (2006). However, it highlights the fact that the hundred-or-so years of Romanian cinema leading up to these accomplishments have been largely overlooked. The book provides relevant information on historical and cultural factors influencing contemporary Romanian cinema. It also covers the careers of daring filmmakers who approached various genres despite fifty years of Communist censorship. It profiles Lucian Pintilie, whose seminal work, Reconstruction (1969), strongly inspired the innovative output of Romania's cinema is the 21st-century. The book also examines both the “minimalist” trend (Cristian Mungiu, Cristi Puiu, Corneliu Porumboiu, Radu Muntean) and the younger, but no-less-inspired, directors who have chosen to go beyond the 1989 revolution paradigm by dealing with the complexities of contemporary Romania.