Strigoi

source: Strigoi

I'm American and the garbage coming out of Hollywood the last 15 years has been repulsive. This well shot movie was not exactly a horror film but a coming of age picture about a young man who watches his dreams slip away as all of our generation has and we have to go home to tell the most important people in our lives we have failed only to see the beautiful countryside towns we grew up in have gasped their last breaths without the people who have fought to keep them alive, our town matriarchs. There is always someone stealing from the hardworking people in small towns, we have always been abused and our elderly have hidden most of this abuse from us with fairytales and dreams of going to the city or a far away place for a better life but they are not understanding that when we all get to that golden age we need our history , our people and without them crammed into a city we are nothing without our families. Watching a small town slowly die to outsiders who want to bring industry and change always scares our elders. They are the most valuable treasure and the only thing that teaches us this lesson is loss and time.

As much as I enjoy movies that involve the undead in all their shapes, forms and sizes, then "Strigoi: The Undead" just didn't appeal to me, and I ended up giving up on it shortly after 45 minutes into the movie. Why didn't the movie appeal to me? Simply because it was so incredibly slow paced, so horribly, horribly slow paced. Nothing much had happened 45 minutes into the movie, so my interest was smothered and terminated. It is rare that I stumble upon a movie this slow paced. It was just awful. It should be said that the acting in "Strigoi: The Undead" was actually quite good. And it is always nice to see brand new faces and talents in a movie. Just a shame that they suffered under a boring script and a lack of storytelling talent at the hand of director Faye Jackson. All in all, this is a boring movie which isn't worth the time, effort and most importantly of all not worth your money.

This Romanian film (in English) has good acting and camerawork, quite a few memorable characters and universally strange plotting. I would have liked to score it higher, but it is a bit plodding. The actors speak English with a Romanian accent, but it is understandable. The Strigoi is a Romanian-type vampire that does not adhere to the rules of the Anglo-Saxon one. This film, however, is less about vampires and more about odd interpersonal relationships, resentments, and traditions in a Romanian village. Unfortunately the pacing is a bit slow and the thought-processes of some characters are unfathomable. If you are patient, you will be rewarded with a healthy dose of weirdness, a pretty good soundtrack and maybe a little insight into small-town Romanian culture.

Strigoi is a funny little film. It's a mystery-horror-comedy-adventure. The dialogue and folksy music blend to create a thoroughly dry, witty atmosphere. Poor Vlad has returned home from studying medicine with his father in Italy, but he finds everything in his little village has taken a turn for the strange. His grandfather complains about the communists stealing his dog and the Gypsies stealing his cigarettes. Old Florin has been killed and the men of the town claim that it was an accident, but what kind of accident leaves thumb-shaped bruises on the throat? Something weird is going on with the Tirescus, the long-time patrons of the village. Constantin says he is always hungry, and his abdomen rumbles continuously to prove it. Constantin's wife has taken up residence in Vlad's aunt's kitchen, eating everything in sight and demanding ever more food. Vlad awakens in the night to find his grandfather sucking his blood from a curious welt on his thigh. Someone is buying up all the land around the town without the permission of its owners. Where will all this lead? Vlad has no idea, but he is learning that there is much more to the old legends he heard as a boy than he'd always assumed. This film is full of the ironies of small town life, presented in a dark but charming manner. Sort of a Romanian Green Acres with vampires.

Vlad Cozma is almost a doctor, but he's queasy around blood. He's an omega male, and is ignored and shown disrespect regularly, often in vulgar fashion. He's the protagonist since he wants certain mysteries solved. After World War II, the Communists stole a huge amount of land in Romania, sending a modern nation back into feudalism. The landowners could get their land back after the fall of communism. However, the rising capitalist/carpetbagger class finagled laws requiring that original land deeds be produced to successfully conduct such claims. One of Vlad's mysteries was, "where is grandfather Nicholae's land deed?" That takes up a large chunk of the film. Early on, Vlad signs a death certificate, which he should not have done. He never quite got those medical credentials. The police ferret this out, and one of the detectives, Octav, uses this fact to force Vlad to assist him in the investigation of the death. The third major thread is the matter of who is a strigoi (vampire) and who was not, along with whether the strigoi exist or not. The strigoi make Vlad's other two investigations that much more difficult. By the end of the film, Vlad is no longer the omega male. ------Scores------- Cinematography: 8/10 Occasionally dark, but mostly competent. Sound: 8/10 A little low at times. Acting: 10/10 Just right for the screenplay. Screenplay: 7/10 The plot was murky, but moves along. The conclusion was difficult but also satisfying.

I don't know where one of the reviewers got that the accents were bad/fake/not genuine, however these ARE Romanian actors, speaking English with Romanian accents. If you are used to English accents from Americans, then of course you may be suffering under illusions about how people in the real world Eastern Europe truly speak English. The film is amusing, well made, interesting and surprising. I enjoyed it quite well. Acting was on par with this sort of indie film, and in most cases, believable. Effects were not computer generated, however the story moved a bit slowly. I certainly enjoyed the beautiful countryside of Romania and reminded me of the time I visited.

I can understand how some might find this movie slow or dull. I can see how someone expecting a traditional vampire movie would be disappointed. But this is a movie that asks to be taken on its own terms. If you're willing to go where it takes you, it's absolutely entertaining. No spoilers here, except to say as others have that it's not a standard vampire movie in any respect. (For me, that's a plus. I'm a lifelong horror fan, but the older I get, the more I appreciate subtlety; and Strigoi is certainly subtle.) I concur with other reviewers who say it's a tough movie to categorize in terms of genre; I found it dryly funny, but I wouldn't call it a comedy. Neither is it a horror movie in any conventional sense. There's a touch of magic realism in that the vampires are not so much literal entities as they are metaphors for a past that refuses to die - understandable, since the movie is very firmly located in modern Romania. That specificity of time and place is one of my favorite aspects of the film. While I don't have direct personal experience of Romania, I do have family from other parts of Eastern Europe, and the film's casual mix of modernity and tradition ring true for me. So do the characters' droll humor and level of comfort with death and the unknown, all of which is met with a shrug, a wink, and/or a raised glass. The script is excellent and captures the banter between families who have known each other not only for a lifetime, but for generations. The acting, too, is strong. Cătălin Paraschiv as the protagonist, Vlad, scarcely alters his voice or facial expressions throughout the film but still manages to convey a wide range of emotions and remains sympathetic. The ensemble cast is endearing, particularly the local policeman (who speculates that a local landowner ought to consider growing marijuana, because it's natural and never hurt anybody) and the mourners keeping vigil over the body of a local patriarch to ensure he doesn't become strigoi. The Romanian accents are thick but intelligible, and it's clear that everyone's having a good time with the material. Did I mention the music? The music's great. I wasn't expecting to enjoy Strigoi anywhere near as much as I did, so I'm happy to pass along a recommendation in the hopes that someone else will find the film entertaining as well.

My husband and I loved this movie for: 1) it's quirky humor -- humor that we found intensely funny (laughing out loud in almost every scene). One running joke is about Vlad's squeamishness. In spite of going to med school, Vlad failed to practice medicine, presumably b/c of this reputed squeamishness -- well-known to everyone in the small town. So, just about every character says something to Vlad about his squeamishness, as he is faced with increasingly challenging or gruesome tasks. The remark: "Everyone knows you're a *, Vlad" is repeated by several characters. The delivery is not teasing or mocking; it's deadpan and matter of fact way, which is much funnier. 2. the political and social context -- very interesting 3. the blood sucking/greedy eating as a metaphor for the communists' greedy thieving of people's land Tips -- it's not scary -- not supposed to be, but it has a few gross out moments. LOVED IT!

I have to say it: Beautiful! The Romanians did it this time. This American-Romanian collaboration brought the Romanian production value to a new level. I was impressed of how ALL the Romanian actors spoke English so relaxed, the story was good, the cinematography and the entire production was tight together in one really nice final product. I love how they took the so popular subject of the Transilvanian Vamipre and brought it down to earth in such a simple and so realistic manner that it will make a lot of people wonder if these things are really happening. Impressed!