At the dawn of his feature film directorial career, Bogdan Mureșanu heralds the beginning of a new chapter in Romanian cinema. While the theme of communism has been explored extensively in numerous New Wave films, the work of this Bucharest-born director goes beyond the era, offering a refreshing and unique perspective on storytelling.
We are dealing with a plethora of narrative threads, some of which intertwine very subtly. Moreover, the historical accuracy gives The New Year That Never Came a distinctive note. While at first glance it may seem like just another film addressing the topic of the 1989 Revolution, this is not the case.
Beyond the narrative complexity, the impressive set design and attention to detail must also be praised. From a technical standpoint, like all great and ambitious films, Bogdan Mureșanu’s work truly meets Hollywood standards.
Another pleasant detail is the way the director captures different social categories and their perspectives on the same historical event. After all, although reality is the same, the perception of it differs, and this is subtly suggested by Bogdan Mureșanu in *The New Year That Never Came.
Beyond technical, directorial, and set design elements, we are dealing with a plethora of actors from multiple generations who blend harmoniously, creating a mix worthy of an ambitious film. Moreover, the characters are picturesque, charismatic, and pleasing to the eye, while Romanian humor and cynicism is omnipresent, adding a unique tone to an almost-perfect film.
Without a doubt, if we were to summarize everything said above, The New Year That Never Came is exactly what Romanian society needs, especially since, as we well know, they are at a crossroads that could take them back to those dark times depicted in this film.
Overall, The New Year That Never Came is a must-watch not only for hardcore cinema enthusiasts but also for anyone with even a slight interest in Romania’s history, particularly in deepening their understanding of the grim period of communism and the bloody Revolution of 1989. Moreover, for this film, Bogdan Mureșanu was awarded the Orizzonti Award for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival, and what we call a masterpiece of contemporary Romanian cinema has every chance of being awarded at all major film festivals worldwide.
We rate this movie at 9.5/10. The New Year That Never Was is also available on Netflix and is undoubtedly the film of the year 2024 in Romanian cinema.
