Somewhere in Palilula (2012)

Directed by: Silviu Purcarete
Country: Romania

Movie Review: Awaited with great expectation by the fans of Silviu Purcarete, a renowned Romanian opera and theater director, “Somewhere In Palilula” didn’t disappoint, bringing a stirring story that works as a satire of the Romanian medical profession. Dr. Serafim is a fresh pediatrician who accepts a job in the phantasmagoric Palilula, a small city known for not having children, all killed at birth by the recently deceased Dr. Pantelica. In difficult times, where food was a whim and drink was a must, doctors and patients were immersed in alcohol and smoke, slowly pushing the unbusy Serafim for a life of excesses and debauchery. After a fast introduction, we get to know all the characters a bit closer: Dr. Gogu, a black man beloved by all women in town; Dr. Ilie, a choleric drunkard; the toothless and passionate Virgil; Barza, a rich Italian frog-seller; the spooky and newly arrived Kiki; negligent Leonardo and his heartless superior; a woman who turns man every half-moon nights; and many more. With a bold and stylish approach, Purcarete presents us insanity everywhere with appealing hints of surrealism, creating this way a disconcerting atmosphere of eccentricity that comes very close to Peter Greenaway’s works. Its bizarreness and dark humor fits as a glove in a mockery with social and political considerations. The only setback is that the film runs for too long, always with a lavish cinematography whose intensity sometimes becomes exhausting.