I have just watched this film and was very interested in what others had to say about it. While I am not going to contradict the people claiming that this is meant to be a (very) dark comedy (I think that only the director and the writers know best whether this is true or not), I am going to state that from my point of view it is sadly way too close to reality. From the moment Marius refuses to wait for Otilia before leaving with their little daughter, my heart kept pounding in my chest because there was no way of knowing what would happen next. Marius acts like a mad person and Serban Pavlu beautifully portrays a cornered man searching for every possibility of getting away: violence, pleading, emotional blackmail, lies. What puzzled me was Otilia's calm, she was the one that reminded me it was only a film, but then again, everybody acts differently under such circumstances and it could be only myself that found her attitude slightly less real than the others'. Even Aurel, played very well by Gabriel Spahiu, with his inability to stand up to Marius, didn't seem comical to me.
I am without a doubt influenced by having had a similar drama in my own family, and thus might not be able to see it as it might have been intended - a dark comedy. However, being able to compare it to the real thing, I can say that it certainly made me feel the same, scared and experiencing mixed emotions towards each character, knowing that every so-called grown-up (as they are acting very childish) shares a part of the blame, and not being able to decide (at least at first) who it would be best to win this battle. And it is because the film achieves this that I recommend it.
I am without a doubt influenced by having had a similar drama in my own family, and thus might not be able to see it as it might have been intended - a dark comedy. However, being able to compare it to the real thing, I can say that it certainly made me feel the same, scared and experiencing mixed emotions towards each character, knowing that every so-called grown-up (as they are acting very childish) shares a part of the blame, and not being able to decide (at least at first) who it would be best to win this battle. And it is because the film achieves this that I recommend it.