Ancient themes of xenophobia and ethnic conflict are given a not too fresh treatment by Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu, the man behind the impressive "4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile" from 2007. His latest is a bleak social thriller with a slowly winding story about the effects of migrant workers in a small society riddled with unemployment, lack of education and hundreds of years of multiethnic clashes. With predictable and simple-minded characters and parables of biblical proportions, Mungiu aims for multifaceted and historically aware, but falls short: His perspective makes his film just about as misanthropic as his characters are, and his dissection of them is weirdly trite and stilted. The only exception is a several minute long take of a heated town hall meeting - which is the only time R. M. N really comes alive.
Review of R.M.N.
