A Mandragora Movies production. (International sales: Mandragora, Bucharest.) Produced by Bobby Paunescu, Cristi Puiu. Executive producer, Anca Puiu. Directed, written by Bobby Paunescu.
With: Monica Birladeanu, Dorian Boguta, Luminita Gheorghiu, Teodor Corban, Doru Ana, Dana Dogaru, Mihai Dorobantu, Dan Chiriac, Isabela Neamtu, Ion Sapdaru, Ion Besoiu.
Bobby Paunescu, producing partner of Cristi Puiu ("The Death of Mr. Lazarescu"), makes an intriguing debut as feature director with "Francesca," an immigrationyarn given substance by its blackly comic view of the characters and an involving perf as the titular wannabe emigree by Monica Birladeanu. Pic is largely festival and cable fare, with occasional arthouse dates in Europe likely.
Most of the script's quiet humor trades on tensions between Romania and Italy, where more than 1 million Romanians reside and some politicians have made strident anti-Romanian pronouncements following violence by immigrants. (One politico, Alessandra Mussolini, who's named in the movie, threatened to take out a lawsuit at the time of the pic's Venice screening.)
Francesca (Birladeanu) is a 30-year-old kindergarten teacher who lives with her mother, Ana (Luminita Gheorghiu), and idealistically dreams of setting up a kids' school in Rome to improve Romanians' image in Italy. Her relationship with longtime b.f. Mita (Dorian Boguta) is going nowhere, but she still vacillates over the move as one after another friend or relative gives her advice.
The basic joke is that, though many Romanians think Italians are only a cut above uncivilized, they consider each other equally duplicitous. But Francesca is still in thrall of the post-communist dream that a better life is to be lived elsewhere, preferably in West Europe.
One of her friends, Maria (Isabela Neamtu), introduces her to a black marketeer, Pandele (Ion Sapdaru), who promises Francesca a job as a nurse to an old invalid near Milan. The deal, which involves her leaving almost immediately, has a bad smell: Francesca's father, Ion (Teodor Corban), is against it, but her mother and Mita encourage her to go. Mita says he'll join her soon, as soon as he's finished a deal he's working on, but his monetary problems conspire to prove a further drag on her plans.
Working with several cast members from "Lazarescu" (Birladeanu, Gheorghiu, Boguta), Paunescu draws simpatico performances from his players, despite often long takes from a fixed camera that pans back and forth between protags in a scene. The curiously clunky visual style -- clearly deliberate -- almost gives the film the flavor of a 35mm homemovie, though one that is always well lit, in both interiors and exteriors.
Offbeat style is also part and parcel of the movie's black humor, including a sequence between Francesca and her money-lending godfather that's almost surreal, and another in which Francesca and Ana are visited by a quietly menacing thug (Mihai Dorobantu) who's looking for Mita.
With not a great deal happening plotwise, it's in such grace notes that the appeal of the film lies. With a less skillful cast, the offbeat mixture wouldn't work -- and the pic could still use some trims: A far too long scene of Mita recounting his money problems to Francesca is one obvious candidate.

Camera (color), Andrei Butica; editor, Ioachim Stroe; music, Petru Birladeanu; art director, Mihai Dorobantu; costume designers, Mirela Fraser, Monica Florescu; sound (Dolby Digital), Mirel Cristea, Sebastian Zsemlye, Alexandru Dragomir; assistant director, Mariuca Petre. Reviewed at Venice Film Festival (Horizons), Sept. 3, 2009. Running time: 97 MIN. (Romanian, Russian dialogue)
By DEREK ELLEY
Posted: Sat., Sep. 19, 2009, 4:55pm PT; Variety.com
Venice