Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/817563
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 30 APRIL 2017 38 This Week SUPERSTAR Romanian director Cristian Mungiu makes a trium- phant return to the big screen fol- lowing his defining – and Palme d'Or-winning – abortion drama 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days with The Graduation, a searing critique of corruption-rife Romanian soci- ety wrapped up in a tale of a father trying to do good by his daughter. After 18-year-old student Eliza (Maria Drăguș) is sexually as- saulted in the run up to an impor- tant exam, her fragile psychologi- cal estate runs the risk of losing her a prestigious scholarship for a UK university – which had pre- viously been easily within reach, much to the delight of her father, the middle-aged doctor Romeo (Adrian Titieni). In fact, while Eliza begins to understandably see the scholarship as something of a secondary concern – and her mother, the wilting Magda (Lia Bugnar), understands her need to find psychological closure af- ter the attack – Romeo will stop at nothing, including engaging in high-level corruption, to secure a high-enough grade for his daugh- ter. Because for Romeo, this is more than just an exam. It signifies the possibility for his kin to reap some- thing good out of the ashes of his generation's dreams. The film opens with a stone shattering a living room window, and an only slightly ruffled fam- ily questioning who it could have been before moving on with their lives. The living room looks pret- ty enough, and the family is cer- tainly self-aware and cultivated – Romeo listens to classical mu- sic while driving to his mistress, the single mother Sandra (Mălina Manovici), in between his doc- tor's rounds – but the external world is a grey and often squalid trudge – a construction zone whose completion is never quite in sight. This tightly framed and sear- ingly focused contrast of aspira- tion vs harsh reality is what gives The Graduation its brilliantly realised (and thoroughly pes- simistic) downward spiral. The bleached out colour schemes aid Mungiu in creating a world where hope lies out of reach... although significantly, making Eliza a radi- ant and fresh-faced blonde (de- spite her glow taking a few knocks after what happens) is a signifi- cant shift. The film does in fact offer a light at the end of the tunnel, though in some ways its also a challenge and a prayer: please, for the love of god, Romanian kids: do your best to make the country better. The Graduation is an achingly realistic parable about life under a creaking and corrupt society, where ethical compromise ap- pears to be the only recourse to get anything resolved. Cris- tian Mungiu's film does suggest a glimmer of hope for the new generation, but the presented evidence nudges us to conclude that the contrary would make a likelier outcome. Despite its grim overtures, it still makes for a com- pelling and humane time at the movies. IN CINEMAS TODAY EMBASSY CINEMAS VALLETTA TEL. 21 227436, 21 245818 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (12A) 10:30, 14:30, 17:45, 20:45 The Boss Baby (U) 10:00, 12:15, 14:30, 16:45, 19:00, 21:15 Kong: Skull Island (12A) 16:00, 18:35, 21:10 Fast and the Furious 8 (12A) 10:30, 14:15, 17:30, 20:30, 23:20 Smurfs The Lost Village (U) 10:00, 12:10, 14:20, 16:30, 18:40 Unforgettable (15) 20:45 Beauty and the Beast (PG) 10:00, 13:00, 15:40, 18:20, 21:00 Valletta Living History (U) 10:00, 10:45, 11:30, 12:15, 13:00, 13:45, 14:30, 15:15 EDEN CINEMAS ST JULIAN'S TEL. 23 710400 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (12A) 12:45, 15:35, 18:25, 21:15 Fast and the Furious 8 (12A) 13:00, 14:30, 16:00, 18:00, 20:00, 21:15, 23:00 Kong: Skull Island (12A) 13:30, 16:00, 18:30, 21:00 Beauty and the Beast (PG) 13:50, 16:20, 18:50, 21:20 The Sense of an Ending (15) 14:00, 16:25, 18:45, 21:00 Their Finest (12A) 14:00, 16:25, 18:50, 21:15, 23:40 A Dog's Purpose (PG) 14:10, 16:20, 18:30, 20:40 Smurfs: The Lost Village (PG) 14:10, 16:15, 18:20 Going in Style (12A) 14:10, 16:20, 18:30, 20:50, 23:00 Unforgettable (15) 14:10, 16:20, 18:35, 20:45 The Boss Baby (U) 14:10, 16:20, 18:35, 20:55 The Handmaiden (TBA) 14:30, 20:40 Graduation (15) 18:00 Ghost in the Shell (12A) 20:55, 23:25 EMPIRE CINEMAS BUGIBBA TEL. 21 581787, 21 581909 The Boss Baby (U) 11:15, 13:35, 16:20, 18:35, 20:45 Fast and the Furious 8 (12A) 10:15, 13:00, 15:45, 18:30, 21:15 Beauty and the Beast (PG) 10:30, 13:15, 15:55, 18:35, 21:15 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (PG) 10:15, 13:00, 15:45, 18:30, 21:15 Their Finest (12A) 10:55, 13:30, 16:00, 18:30, 21:00 Going in Style (12A) 11:20, 14:00, 16:30, 18:35, 20:45 Smurfs: The Lost Village (U) 11:20, 14:00, 16:30, 18:35 Unforgettable (15) 20:50 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ THE GRADUATION ★ ★ ★ ★ THE GRADUATE ★ ★ ★ GRADUALLY ★ ★ DOWNGRADED ★ EXPELLED FILM THE GRADUATION (15) ★ ★ ★ ★ Back-scratching ourselves to death By Teodor Reljic Bad education: Adrian Titieni and Maria Dragus in The Graduation – a subtle but cutting dissection of a society rife with corruption Fractured: Titieni and Lia Bugnar