Mircea Daneliuc Movies

This Romanian dramatic comedy offers metaphorical commentary on life after Ceausescu's reign as it tells the story of a rural community turned topsy-turvy in their mad quest for the snails a prominent senator has requested for his dinner. The trouble begins when a rather imposing, pompous senator comes to visit a small rural Romanian town for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new hydro-electric dam. After he finishes his speech, the senator is accosted by a Swiss film crew eager to interview him. The senator is inordinately concerned with presenting a positive image of Romania to the world at large and so when he learns that he and the journalists are to stay at the same villa, does everything he came to make sure that they see nothing scandalous. During the interview he casually mentions that he would like to have escargot for dinner the following night. To please him, the town fathers assign everyone in town to find the slimy delicacies; it is not an easy task. Meanwhile, a searching school teacher is accosted by two gypsies who try to rape her. Later the senator begs her not to press charges. The senator and his entourage then spend a restful day beside a lake oblivious to the increasing tensions between the desperately searching Romanians and the neighboring gypsies. Things escalate and a riot ensues, leaving the senator to scramble about trying to conceal the uprising. Finally he is served his snails and almost dies for the slippery critters turn out to be toxic. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Jacob (Dorel Visan) is a gold miner who risks his life daily to support his wife, mother-in-law, and four children in this socio-political drama. Under the rule of an oppressive monarchy backed by military force, the miners often resort to stealing gold to compensate for their meager wages. Workers are subjected to strip searches and are forced to take laxatives by the often brutal guards and inspectors as they look for stolen gold, and Jacob raises his vocal objections over the treatment of his fellow workers. Although the story takes place in Rumania during the 1930s, the viewer can draw parallels to worker oppression of any era. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

When a mix of blue- and white-collar workers get together for a week's cruise down the Danube, they are thinking more in the terms of a "Love Boat" than a morally edifying and physically bracing ride through great scenery. This cruise was a reward for their exemplary work performance, and a little time off from exemplary performance is what most seem to have at the top of their cruise list. Their stalwart group chaperone is of another breed, so to speak, and is hidebound to keep them busy in planned activities for each hour of the day and night. The animosity between the group leader and his many, many charges builds until he blows a fuse at the end, and in so doing, he reveals a few dark secrets of his own. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Matei Olaru (Stefan Irodache) is a journalist at an independent (not state-supervised) newspaper who takes his work seriously. In the Rumania of 1939, this was, as it often is, a dangerous predisposition. For one thing, the fascist Iron Guard is vigilant in persecuting anyone suspected of "liberal" tendencies. When Matei rescues a girl from a beating by thugs, he is dismayed to discover that the thugs were members of the Iron Guard, and that the girl was a suspected communist. They warn him that his life will be forfeit unless he can find and return the girl to them. As he searches for the girl, he uncovers the true extent of fascist evil in his beloved city of Bucharest. His search puts him in a dangerous position, because the communist underground trusts him no better than the fascists, and he is caught between them. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi