Closer to the Moon (2013)

Yes, I know ... There was a long break, and I can't say I'm coming back "in force". "Closer to the Moon" is definitely not the best movie I can recommend, but I'm struggling since two weeks ago to find time to write this entry, and I'm afraid I start already forgetting what I wanted to say ...

I stick to the opinion that Nae Caranfil is something different in the scene of Romanian cinema, filled with over-appreciated communist nostalgia. His "The Rest is Silence" is in my opinion the best film made in Ro after '89, compared to the multi-awared "4, 3, 2" which is a sort of local shock trigger a la "Hotel Rwanda": unique purpose - impress the foreigners (with the bitter difference that the ending is dark, in the "profound" spirit of the Balkans area, vs. the sunny Africa in the other one). So .. that's why I was expecting much more from "Closer to the Moon" ... I could get over the communist period setting. What we have is subject that has enough potential to transcend this context. The movie is a romanced version of what was called "the robbery of the century" in the post WW2 Romania (real case). I won't say more, just to leave at least the story as a potential interest. Although ... the way this is told ...

We're not talking here about a Romanian movie. Despite the ton of awards it recently got from what we could call the local Oscar = Gopo Awards. Maybe the only which would be deserved (if that would exist) is "best movie in a foreign language". And probably even this would be won just when there aren't any competitors ... The main cast of the movie is foreigner, and the movie is spoken in English. I didn't expect this, but the result looks so artificial that it removes any credibility. I'm never expecting a documentary from a movie based on real facts, but come on ... when you have an actor with English accent, one with American, one with Scottish, and they're supposed to represent the same nationality ... when a drama is approached in a comic fashion up to the point when it bypasses the "artificial" threshold, but still wants to be believed after that ... and there are more to say, but I'm not in the mood and I don't have the time.

Caranfil wanted to shoot a Hollywood movie, with Hollywood actors. I actually appreciate that. I'm more than fed with the harsh Romanian reality that keeps getting awards for its shock factor. In the end he managed to get something right. The production value: cinematography, editing, sound .. everything's at least at the "OK" level. But beyond that ... There's no chemistry. The sensation you get is of a unpolished B movie, where the screenwriter struggled to look a bit like Tarantino by placing scenes into chapters, and too many actors want to be the lead character no matter how many others are around theme in the scene. I guess Vera Farmiga is the only one who does indeed a good role here ... (maybe I'm a bit subjective too). That's it ... hopefully next time will have better ...

Rating: 2 out of 5