MIFF NOTES: Sieranevada (2016, Dir. Cristi Puiu)

Of the Romanian New Wave flicks on offer at this year's fest, Sieranevada from movement flagbearer, Cristi Piu, won out on every measure. Points for realist mindset. Points for domesticity. Points for black, understated political humour.

But it is the technical aspects of Piu's three hour family dinner cringer that deserve the most praise. Somehow, even within the cramped family home in which it is set, Sieranevada's crew is invisible.

That may not seem that astonishing. Bar a few prominent examples, film crews don't get starring roles in feature films, but Piu's long-take pivots appear to happen in real time, through doorways, into rooms, out of rooms, from the front, then from behind. It is long form logistical filmmaking wizardry that frequently presses front of mind and adds, rather than subtracts, from the frenetic claustrophobia of the film's rhythm.

There's a lot going on in the apartment, as you'd expect when the extended family congregates for a celebration of its recently deceased head. There are a lot of emotions at play. And a lot of family rivalries to writhe over. The conversations roll with comic realism, with religion and politics both getting the once over thanks to an absent priest and the Charlie Hebdo attacks that went down days before (conspiracy theories dating back to September 2011 get an hilarious touch up as well).

Piu's rhythm is impeccable, as is the lead performance from a frustrated Mimi Branescu. Where they both take the conversation is absorbing enough to warrant the extended runtime and considered enough to spark intellectual engagement. Even though it is a bit of a barrage and (like any family gathering) there is a lot of sifting to be done.

Be careful who you sit next to.

★★★★

Clip:

Sieranevada screened as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival 2016.

You can check out other films from the festival here.