Watch If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle For Free

Strong and Moving!

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Taken out of context the movie might appeal to drama aficionados but the movie is in a context that is so true, so gripping it just not real without the truth. Romanians have been flocking abroad since the end of communist era and this has torn the families apart. Sure it has happened all over Eastern Europe, but Romanians have a Latin family oriented lifestyle and by losing the core of it's society (family) it is just losing the plot. Dig deeper into anyone's estranged family and you might find enough drama for a similar movie . A standing ovation for the way the story unfolded, slowly, with almost no dedicated soundtrack apart from the music that summaries right now Romania , back-water uncultured but with a resonance for the masses. Impressive !

Over the last two decades, several million Romanians left to work in Western Europe, mainly in agriculture, construction and services in Italy and Spain. They are often called "capsunari" (capsuna=strawberry), a reference to picking strawberries. Hundreds of thousands of kids were left behind and grew up without their parents as a result. As we see in the movie, growing up without parents unfortunately leads to social maladaptation, and particularly to difficulty controlling impulses. This generation of kids, whose motto might be "If I want to whistle, I whistle" or "I do whatever the hell I want to do", will haunt Romania for decades.

This film is full of suspense, tragedy, and irony. With the focus on excellent acting and directing, rather than special effects and music, this movie incites the viewer to ponder its messages long after the last credits. Raising issues related to the importance of parenting, the frustration of hoping when the system is against you, and the role administrators play in keeping the accused, even when rehabilitation is imminent, in prison.In this film director Florin Serban's mastery lies in his ability to create an intense atmosphere parallel to that which Sergio Leone created in the "Spaghetti Westerns" of the mid-twentieth century. The tension felt when just a few forceful words are combined with meaningful body language is remarkable. Actor George Pistereanu is a talent to keep watching; his powerful interpretation of the role of Silviu is as charming and convincing as it is haunting.

Is not necessarily a bad movie and for a new viewer of Romanian movies could be quite interesting. The problems of the movie are the theme and filming style. I'm sick and tired of Romanian movies filmed from hand to provide reality (if I want reality I open the door or the TV) and also to see movies about low-end society family problems. I don't need to go to cinema and pay to have a better understanding of 5 o'clock TV news. Romania is much more better than it's low life and I hope one day, Romanian movie makers will stop pushing forward the garbage (for other to pity us) and start doing movies to promote us as we really are: beautiful, smart and extremely funny!