The New Year That Doesn't Come', a powerful first feature that mixes farce and tragedy

Mixing farce and tragedy, Mureșanu signs a debut work of remarkable maturity, capable of playing with strong symbolism and references from the past to make us think about the present as well.

 It is a choral work "The New Year's Eve That Doesn't Come", a film that has on its side a beautiful title, effective in metaphorically representing a situation in which change seemed impossible.

The end of Ceaușescu's dictatorship is portrayed in a tragicomic manner, thanks also to the large number of characters on stage who manage to show the different reactions in those days that changed history.

Initially, the film takes a while to get going, but the long running time (138 minutes) is justified by the narrative layering and the ability to engage the audience in an increasingly intense manner as the sequences pass.

Remarkable is the entire final part, where the direction perfectly juxtaposes sound and image, news and fiction, through effective editing and a soundtrack that fully contributes to reinforcing the messages it wants to leave with the viewer.

It is one of the surprises of these last few months in the theatres: don't miss it.

 Among the new releases in theatres is the eagerly awaited 'Eternity', directed by David Freyne and starring Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen and Callum Turner.

Joan and Larry are a couple who have been married for some time: the two die within a few days of each other, after an existence shared between affection, habits and small daily misunderstandings. Their meeting in the afterlife should be serene and predictable: after all, they have built together an entire existence of compromises and silent fidelity. But when Joan arrives at this sort of otherworldly transit station, where everyone returns in the appearance and age of their happiest phase, she finds Luke, her first husband, who died very young in the Korean War, waiting for her.

An intriguing story of a love triangle out of time, 'Eternity' shows us an afterlife where there is only one, very simple rule: each soul has only one week to decide where and with whom to spend eternity, and for Joan the choice will not be so simple.

The premise of this film is certainly original and interesting, although as the minutes go by, the initial momentum gives way to an undoubtedly more conventional and predictable product. If we forget where they are, it risks being just another sentimental comedy, although the 'space-time background' always remains an element of curiosity.

A little less laziness in the script, however, would certainly have helped, and even the cast only partially works: Elizabeth Olsen is much better than her two 'partners' Teller and Turner.