The Best Romanian New Wave Movies Ever Made
“What are the best Romanian New Wave Movies?” We looked at 107 of the top Romanian New Wave films, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!
The top 22 films, all appearing on 2 or more “Best Romanian New Wave” movie lists, are ranked below by how many times they appear. The remaining 75+ movies, as well as the sources we used, are in alphabetical order on the bottom of the page.
Happy Scrolling!
Top 22 Best Romanian New Wave Movies Ever Made
22 .) Morgen (2010) directed by Marian Crisan
Lists It Appears On:
- Honest Publishing
- IMDB
NELU, a man in his forties, works as a security guard at a supermarket in Salonta, a small town on the Romanian-Hungarian border.
21 .) Occident (2002) directed by Cristian Mungiu
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- MUBI
“Occident” is a bitter comedy about the people who want to emigrate from Romania, and about those who stay behind. The movie has a rich, interesting structure: there are three different stories – a weeklong in the film – that cross, interconnect and happen in the same period. The characters influence each others lives, sometimes even without knowing. Main characters from one story become secondary characters in another story. At the same time, scenes from the first part of the movie bring unexpected facts when seen the second or the third time. The stories do not have just one ending: the first story ends in each of the third parts in a different point, suggesting radically different solutions for the characters. The way in which the director fits time and links events together often produces thematically unexpected results. ×
20 .) Ryna (2005) directed by Ruxandra Zenide
Lists It Appears On:
- Honest Publishing
- IMDB
In a small village in the Danube Delta, where traditions are confronted with new material purposes, a teenage girl is becoming a woman. This is the story of Ryna, a 16 year old girl, working as an motor mechanic in Sulina, who strives to find her identity next to a father who is firmly denying her femininity.
19 .) Sieranevada (2016) directed by Cristi Puiu
Lists It Appears On:
- Calcert Journal
- IMDB
18 .) Stuff and Dough (2001) directed by Cristi Puiu
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- Rate Your Music
A young man from Constanța who has his own business aims to expand, but he doesn’t have the resources.
17 .) The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu (2010) directed by Andrei Ujica
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- Taste Of Cinema
The three-hour-long documentary covers 25 years in the life of Nicolae Ceaușescu and was made using 1,000 hours of original footage from the National Archives of Romania.
16 .) The Concert (2009) directed by Radu Mihaileanu
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- MUBI
15 .) Beyond the Hills (2012) directed by Cristian Mungiu
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- Indie Ethos
- Taste Of Cinema
A drama centered on the friendship between two young women who grew up in the same orphanage; one has found refuge at a convent in Romania and refuses to leave with her friend, who now lives in Germany.
14 .) Child’s Pose (2013) directed by Cãlin Peter Netzer
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- Indie Ethos
- Taste Of Cinema
The top prize winner at the Berlin Film Festival, Calin Peter Netzer s sharply crafted Child s Pose pivots on a riveting performance by Luminita Gheorghiu (Best Actress Nominee, European Film Awards) as a steely, well-to-do Bucharest architect determined to keep her 30-something deadbeat son out of jail after a deadly car crash. How far will she go to convince the police, eyewitnesses and even the victim s family that her son was not recklessly speeding? A spellbinding drama of social commentary and psychological realism, this caustic look into the corrupt heart of the Eastern European bourgeoisie twists into a brilliantly ambiguous study of obsessive motherly love.
13 .) If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle (2010) directed by Florin Serban
Lists It Appears On:
- Honest Publishing
- IMDB
- Taste Of Cinema
A teenager prisoner awaits his release when two weeks before that happens he’s told that his mother is returned home. Meanwhile, he finds himself in love with a Sociology student, Ana, working in the penitentiary as an intern.
12 .) Marilena from P7 (2006) directed by Cristian Nemescu
Lists It Appears On:
- Cinema Without Borders
- IMDB
- Taste Of Cinema
Andrei, a 13 year old teenager, living on Bucharest outskirts, decides one day to steal a trolleybus in order to impress Marilena, a prostitute he fell in love with.
11 .) The Happiest Girl in the World (2009) directed by Radu Jude
Lists It Appears On:
- Honest Publishing
- IMDB
- The Culture Trip
Delia, a young Romanian girl, comes to Bucharest with her parents to collect a prize she has won in a contest organized by a soft-drinks company. The prize is a beautiful new car. All Delia has to do now is appear in front of the camera in a commercial. All goes well until it becomes clear that Delia and her parents have very different ideas about what to do with the new car. Meanwhile, the contest’s sponsor needs a radiant prize-winner with a gleaming smile. A wicked satire and a psychological portrait of a society perverted by its slavery to capitalism and consumerism ×
10 .) Tuesday, After Christmas (2010) directed by Radu Muntean
Lists It Appears On:
- IMDB
- Revolvy
- Taste Of Cinema
Paul Hanganu loves two women. Adriana his wife and the mother of their daughter, the woman with whom he’s shared the thrills of the past ten years, and Raluca the woman who has made him redefine himself. He has to leave one of them before Christmas.
9 .) Police, Adjective (2009) directed by Corneliu Porumboiu
Lists It Appears On:
- Honest Publishing
- IMDB
- Indie Ethos
- Taste Of Cinema
A cop named Cristi must go undercover to trail teen Victor who is suspected of selling pot in the north-eastern city of Vasliu.
8 .) Tales from the Golden Age (2009) directed by Hanno Höfer
Lists It Appears On:
- Honest Publishing
- IMDB
- MUBI
- Revolvy
Tales from the Golden Age is composed of 5 unconventional short stories, each one dealing with the late communist period in Romania, told through its urban myths from the perspective of ordinary people. The title of the film refers to the alluded “Golden Age” of the last 15 years of Ceauşescu’s regime.
7 .) Aurora (2010) directed by Cristi Puiu
Lists It Appears On:
- Honest Publishing
- IMDB
- Indie Ethos
- MUBI
- Taste Of Cinema
An apartment kitchen: a man and a woman discuss Little Red Riding Hood, their voices hushed, mindful of waking the little girl sleeping next room. Waste land on the city outskirts: behind a line of abandoned trailers, the man silently watches what seems to be a family. The same city, the same man: driving through traffic with two hand-made firing pins for a hunting rifle. The man is 42 years old, his name – Viorel. Troubled by obscure thoughts, he drives across the city to a destination known only to him. ×
6 .) California Dreamin’ (2007) directed by Cristian Nemescu
Lists It Appears On:
- Honest Publishing
- IMDB
- MUBI
- Revolvy
- The Culture Trip
Romanian director Cristian Nemescu’s comedy California Dreamin’ (aka Nesfarsit, 2007) unfolds against the backdrop of the Kosovo War, circa 1999. A NATO train rolls through a Romanian hamlet, transporting a plethora of weapons across the country – without official documents, and equipped only with the verbal consent of the Romanian authorities. The transport thus grows intensely vulnerable.
5 .) The Paper Will Be Blue (2006) directed by Radu Muntean
Lists It Appears On:
- Cinema Without Borders
- Honest Publishing
- IMDB
- Revolvy
- Taste Of Cinema
Out of enthusiasm, a Militia soldier abandons his platoon and decides to fight for the cause of the Revolution. His Lieutenant and the rest of the crew look for him during the confused night of 22-23 December 1989.
4 .) The Way I Spent the End of the World (2006) directed by Cãtãlin Mitulescu
Lists It Appears On:
- Honest Publishing
- IMDB
- MUBI
- Revolvy
- Taste Of Cinema
Bucharest 1989 – the last year of Ceausecu’s dictatorship. Eva lives with her parents and her 7 year old brother, Lalalilu. One day at school, Eva and her boyfriend accidentally break a bust of Ceausescu. They are forced to confess their crime before a disciplinary committee and Eva is expelled from school and transferred to a reformatory establishment. There she meets Andrei, and decides to escape Romania with him. Lalalilu becomes convinced that Ceausescu is the main reason for Eva’s decision to leave. So with his friends from school he devises a plan to kill the dictator. ×
3 .) 12:08 East of Bucharest (2006) directed by Corneliu Porumboiu
Lists It Appears On:
- Calcert Journal
- Honest Publishing
- IMDB
- MUBI
- Taste Of Cinema
- The Culture Trip
It’s the 22nd of December. Sixteen years have passed since the revolution, and in a small town Christmas is about to come. Piscoci, an old retired man is preparing for another Christmas alone. Manescu, the history teacher, tries to keep up with his debts. Jderescu, the owner of a local television post, seems not to be so interested in the upcoming holidays. For him, the time to face history has come. Along with Manescu and Piscoci, he is trying to answer for himself a question which for 16 years has not had an answer: “Was it or wasn’t it a revolution in their town?” ×
2 .) 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007) directed by Cristian Mungiu
Lists It Appears On:
- Cinema Without Borders
- Honest Publishing
- IMDB
- Indie Ethos
- MUBI
- Rate Your Music
- Revolvy
- Taste Of Cinema
- The Culture Trip
Two college roommates have 24 hours to make the ultimate choice as they finalize arrangements for a black market abortion.
1 .) The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005) directed by Cristi Puiu
Lists It Appears On:
- Calcert Journal
- Cinema Without Borders
- Honest Publishing
- IMDB
- Indie Ethos
- MUBI
- Rate Your Music
- Revolvy
- Taste Of Cinema
- The Culture Trip
Mr. Lazarescu (Ion Fiscuteanu) is a retired Romanian engineer, spending his time in the company of his cats and booze. When he starts feeling unusually ill, he first seeks painkillers from his neighbors. It soon becomes apparent that Lazarescu is indeed sick, and an ambulance arrives with a nurse (Luminita Gheorghiu) who has a few ideas about what could be the problem. However, a major traffic accident and poor organization leaves little room in Romanian hospitals for the fading Lazarescu. ×
The 75+ Additional Best Romanian New Wave Films
| # | Movies | Directors | Lists |
| 23 | A Film for Friends (2011) | Radu Jude | IMDB |
| 24 | Adalbert’s Dream (2011) | Gabriel Achim | IMDB |
| 25 | Aferim! (2015) | Radu Jude | IMDB |
| 26 | Angling (2008) | Adrian Sitaru | IMDB |
| 27 | Australia (2009) | Claudiu Mitcu | IMDB |
| 28 | Best Intentions (2011) | Adrian Sitaru | IMDB |
| 29 | Bless You, Prison (2002) | Nicolae Margineanu | IMDB |
| 30 | Boogie | Honest Publishing | |
| 31 | Captivi de Craciun (2010) | Iulia Rugina | IMDB |
| 32 | Ceva Bun de la Viata (2011) | Dan Pita | IMDB |
| 33 | Chasing Rainbows (2012) | Dan Chisu | IMDB |
| 34 | Cigarettes and Coffee | Rate Your Music | |
| 35 | Closer to the Moon (2014) | Nae Caranfil | IMDB |
| 36 | Crossing Dates (2008) | Anca Damian | IMDB |
| 37 | Crulic – The Path to Beyond (2011) | Anca Damian | IMDB |
| 38 | Daca aveti un minut…foarte bine! (2003) | Ivo Baru | IMDB |
| 39 | Domestic (I) (2012) | Adrian Sitaru | IMDB |
| 40 | Eminescu versus Eminem (2005) | Florin Piersic Jr. | IMDB |
| 41 | Europolis (2010) | Cornel Gheorghita | IMDB |
| 42 | Eva (II) (2010) | Adrian Popovici | IMDB |
| 43 | Everybody in Our Family (2012) | Radu Jude | IMDB |
| 44 | Everyday God Kisses Us on the Mouth (2001) | Sinisa Dragin | IMDB |
| 45 | Excerpt from Sieranevada | Cristi Puiu (2016) | Calcert Journal |
| 46 | First of All, Felicia (2009) | Melissa de Raaf | IMDB |
| 47 | Francesca (2009) | Bobby Paunescu | IMDB |
| 48 | Gone with the Wine (2002) | Corneliu Porumboiu | IMDB |
| 49 | Great Communist Bank Robbery (2004) | Alexandru Solomon | IMDB |
| 50 | Hello! How Are You? (2010) | Alexandru Maftei | IMDB |
| 51 | Hooked (2008) | Taste Of Cinema | |
| 52 | I’m an Old Communist Hag (2013) | Stere Gulea | IMDB |
| 53 | I’m Not Famous But I’m Aromanian (2013) | Toma Enache | IMDB |
| 54 | If the Seed Doesn’t Die (2010) | Sinisa Dragin | IMDB |
| 55 | Italiencele (2004) | Nap Toader | IMDB |
| 56 | Kapitalism: Our Improved Formula (2010) | Alexandru Solomon | IMDB |
| 57 | Kino Caravan (2009) | Titus Muntean | IMDB |
| 58 | Love Building (2013) | Iulia Rugina | IMDB |
| 59 | Love Sick (2006) | Tudor Giurgiu | IMDB |
| 60 | Loverboy (2011) | Cãtãlin Mitulescu | IMDB |
| 61 | Lupu (2013) | Bogdan Mustata | IMDB |
| 62 | Mar nero (2008) | Federico Bondi | IMDB |
| 63 | Maria (2003) | Cãlin Peter Netzer | IMDB |
| 64 | Mátyás, Mátyás (2010) | Cecília Felméri | IMDB |
| 65 | Medal of Honor (2009) | Cãlin Peter Netzer | IMDB |
| 66 | Megatron (2008) | Marian Crisan | IMDB |
| 67 | Metrobranding (2010) | Ana Vlad | IMDB |
| 68 | Niki and Flo (2003) | Lucian Pintilie | IMDB |
| 69 | Of Snails and Men (2012) | Tudor Giurgiu | IMDB |
| 70 | Offset (2006) | Didi Danquart | IMDB |
| 71 | One Floor Below (2015) | Radu Muntean | IMDB |
| 72 | Oul de cuc (2010) | Ioan Cãrmãzan | IMDB |
| 73 | Outbound (2010) | Bogdan George Apetri | IMDB |
| 74 | Oxygen (2010) | Adina Pintilie | IMDB |
| 75 | Palme D’Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival | Indie Ethos | |
| 76 | Philanthropy (2002) | Nae Caranfil | IMDB |
| 77 | Portrait of the Fighter as a Young Man (2010) | Constantin Popescu | IMDB |
| 78 | Principles of Life (2010) | Constantin Popescu | IMDB |
| 79 | Quest (2010) | Ionut Piturescu | IMDB |
| 80 | Razboi în bucatarie (2003) | Marius Barna | IMDB |
| 81 | Red Gloves (2010) | Radu Gabrea | IMDB |
| 82 | Rocker (2012) | Marian Crisan | IMDB |
| 83 | Roxanne (2013) | Valentin Hotea | IMDB |
| 84 | Silent River (2011) | Anca Miruna Lazarescu | IMDB |
| 85 | Silent Wedding (2008) | Horatiu Malaele | IMDB |
| 86 | Somewhere in Palilula (2012) | Silviu Purcarete | IMDB |
| 87 | Strung Love (2010) | Victor Dragomir | IMDB |
| 88 | Summer Holiday (2008) | Radu Muntean | IMDB |
| 89 | Tache (2007 TV Movie) | Igor Cobileanski | IMDB |
| 90 | The Afternoon of a Torturer (2001) | Lucian Pintilie | IMDB |
| 91 | The Cage (2010) | Adrian Sitaru | IMDB |
| 92 | The Japanese Dog (2013) | Tudor Cristian Jurgiu | IMDB |
| 93 | The Other Irene (2009) | Andrei Gruzsniczki | IMDB |
| 94 | The Phantom Father (2011) | Lucian Georgescu | IMDB |
| 95 | The Rage (2002) | Radu Muntean | IMDB |
| 96 | The Rest is Silence (2007) | Nae Caranfil | IMDB |
| 97 | The Second Game (2014) | Corneliu Porumboiu | IMDB |
| 98 | The Shukar Collective Project (2011) | Matei-Alexandru Mocanu | IMDB |
| 99 | The Source (2011) | Radu Mihaileanu | IMDB |
| 100 | The Tube with a Hat |
Cinema Without Borders
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| 101 | The Woman in the Dream (2005) | Dan Pita | IMDB |
| 102 | Ursul (2011) | Dan Chisu | IMDB |
| 103 | Vineri in jur de 11 (2006) | Iulia Rugina | IMDB |
| 104 | WebSiteStory (2010) | Dan Chisu | IMDB |
| 105 | Wedding in Bessarabia (2009) | Nap Toader | IMDB |
| 106 | When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism (2013) | Corneliu Porumboiu | IMDB |
| 107 | Where Are You Bucharest? (2014) | Taste Of Cinema |
10 Best Romanian New Wave Film Sources/Lists
| Source | Article |
| Calcert Journal | Keep on rolling: why the Romanian New Wave of cinema shows no |
| Cinema Without Borders | ROMANIAN NEW WAVE, International Spotlight “Romania at LAFF |
| Honest Publishing | The Romanian New Wave – An Introduction to Contemporary |
| IMDB | Romanian New Wave Movies |
| Indie Ethos | Romanian New Wave – 5 top films |
| MUBI | The Romanian ‘New Wave’ |
| Rate Your Music | Romanian New Wave films |
| Revolvy | Romanian New Wave |
| Taste Of Cinema | 15 Essential Films For An Introduction To The Romanian New Wave |
| The Culture Trip | The New Wave Of Romanian Cinema |
