Azucena (2005) User Reviews

the worst Romanian movie I have seen

[ctapus · 1/10 · 2 July 2004]

I have seen this movie at a preview in Los Angeles in july 2004. This movie is by far the worst Romanian film I have ever seen. It has no interesting idea, a lot of senseless nudity (some people might enjoy that) and it lacks a script-writer (the director is trying to pull a double stunt here). The actors are quite plain and the dialogue is completely sterile. Many story plans are started in the movie, but they turn out to be left hanging in the air, without any explanation, and they are irrelevant to the main "story" line.

The director has made some films during the communist era (before 1989). I think that his age turns him towards sex, vulgarity and irrelevant ideas.

Hysterically hilarious - unwittingly, alas...!

[Mihnea_aka_Pitbull · 1/10 · 12 June 2008]

Everything was so ridiculously dumb, that at some moment I was overcame by an access of sick laugh that couldn't stop anymore... In truth, Mircea Muresan was never any luminary of Romanian cinema (except one single timid spark of sincerity, with his debut movie, "Rascoala"), but at old age he definitely lost any touch with reality. The (vaguely) human beings in this images series are not only shallow, not only false, but positively (although "negatively" would be a better fit term) repulsive in their noisy incoherence and frivolous obscenity. The photography reaches the highest peaks of the Kitsch (and non-professionalism: bad lighting, messy sharff, awkward framing), and the sound-track is plainly a never-ending cacophony. Thank God, although it's not the first Romanian "movie" of such a shameful level, it's definitely one of the last. We are waking up.

comment

[davidvonhelsing · 10/10 · 1 July 2005]

I was unpleasantly surprised by the above comment, signed C.T. from Los Angeles which is obviously spoiler, under Cornelia Palos's account.

I saw the movie in a private projection in Los Angeles and it was very well received. Cornelia Palos signs as a producer, if I remember well. As far as I know, in Romania the movie wasn't distributed on market yet and I don't understand what interest can have the producer to run down his own film.

The story: Azucena, a beautiful young gypsy, falls crazily in love with a young lieutenant, a Romanian border officer on Est. Their love burns to a maximum passionate flame but it becomes very fast impossible because of the racist prejudice and of the ancient tribal habits of the India's originary Gypsies. Azucena is the daughter of a rich and influential "bulibaşa", some kind of a local prince.The family is severely against the relation with the officer because of the girl's marriage even from the age of nine. Azucena is a modern girl, a non-conformist one and the conflict with his father becomes a drama. On the other hand, her lieutenant is trapped by the gypsy mafia and implied in the persons and prostitution traffic. Azucena believes him guilty and leaves him. Disappears from home and becomes a table dancer. The establishment's boss promises that he'll send her to a great Italian club but he sells her instead like prostitute in Bosnia. Azucena revenges dreadfully. Together with other girls she emasculates the Bosniac brothel boss and blindest with acid and ignites the Romanian one. Being afraid by the fire's proportion thinks to leave country. She returns to the lefted lieutenant and between passionate embracings asks him to help her to reach the border. On the way, at a police filter, Azucena simply disappears from the car. The lieutenant is not able to find her any more nor does he find out anything about her. After one year, by chance, he saw her completely changed leaving a big hotel together with an aged man.

In film there are also very interesting complementary parallel actions, refugees personal dramas, another Azucena's in love man, a Russian officer behind the border who ends tragically. All actors are great, women are beautiful, the love scenes are credible, whatever with much less nudity than, for instance in "Basic Instinct", not as it is said in the comment.

The film seems to me well done, with a good sense of humor. As far as I know its director is awarded with a prize in Cannes Festival for the film "Răscoala", possible also with other distinctions to other works.

D.vH

You have to see this film!

[mir_cescu · 9/10 · 20 August 2006]

Before any comment you have to see this film. Is difficult, because it have a poor distribution, no DVD or other possibility to have an impression. First of all I was interested in the love story between a Romanian officer and a gypsy girl, a rich one, but an impossible love because the tribal traditions of the Gypsies immigrated in Europe from India 1000 years ago...There are many problems in the film, as the illegal immigration from the same far east. I see some critics by internet and I was disappointed. Some Madames classified the film as "pornography". I see the love encounters sexy but not at all on the other side of normality. The actresses are beautiful...

P.T.