Stepping into Porumboiu's world is a little disorienting. The scene-setting exposition, which sees Adrian (Adrian Purcarescu) unceremoniously requesting 800 euro of his neighbour, Costi (Toma Cuzin) comes out of nowhere; it turns out it's for the hire of a metal detector to locate some buried family treasure. The exchange kicks of the most downbeat treasure hunts in the history of world cinema.
All this would be too silly for words were it not for Porumboiu's droll banter. The offbeat repartee between Costi, Adrian and their under the counter (and under-skilled) metal detector operator soon sidelines the ridiculousness of the set-up and eventually opens up the possibility that the whole affair may not be as ridiculous after all.
Porumboiu seems to enjoy playing in a space where expectations are never allowed to stick. If he were playing by any actual rules, he'd be subverting them. The Treasure is one of those rare films that perfectly blends genres, styles and intents to create something can only really be classified in the experiencing of it.
By needs, this reaches beyond the film's misnomic economic fairytale theming and into its look and feel. The film's camerawork is richer and more varied than a film of this scope would generally attract. Super flat interior shots are counterbalanced by a masterful use of light and dark, contrast and colour throughout the mid-section dig scenes.
Part screwball comedy, part financial commentary, part childhood fantasy adventure, The Treasure is a curiously cut diamond that sparkles every way you look at it. One that changes colour entirely once viewed post-finale.
An entirely generous take on local economic woes.
★★★☆
Trailer:
The Treasure screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival 2015.
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