SpuffyWeb
Sadly Over-hyped
Nicole
I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
Robin Molnar
Usturoi is so good, so pure, so positive, it actually managed to silence my inner voice (reason) and keep me "flying" for several hours afterwards.I can't even begin to describe how the soundtrack made me want to burst into dancing and how the innocence within the move reminded me of long- lost times that I all but forgot.The Transylvanian scenery was beautiful, the people were beautiful in their imperfection, the story-line was authentic and pretty much all that can be seen in this move is a part of a greater lifestyle that embraces tradition with opportunity, the same way this movie embraces correctness and beauty.I was speechless.Thank you for the music! Thank you for the movie!
Mathijs Panhuijsen
You might expect a movie from Romania to deal with heavy subjects such as corruption, poverty and organized crime. "Usturoi" does none of the above. Instead, it's a light-hearted and often hilarious road movie/mockumentary that follows the exploits of two boys (both played by impressive and talented child actors) from the Romanian countryside who are looking to make money in the big city for entirely unselfish motives. Fast-paced and edited for optimal comedic effect by cutting back and forth between interviews with the movie's main players and the story as it unfolds, it's a feelgood movie from a region that too often has a "feelbad" reputation. Go see it!
sobephoto
Even for one who speaks no Romanian, the subtitles often seem superfluous. The impressive acting and wonderful direction convey meaning without the need for spoken words. Who am I to write a review; just a fellow photographer lucky enough to have been invited to a screening. What is "Garlic?" - Nothing more than a timeless "Romeo and Juliet" written into a modern setting yet addressing age old problems in the language of two naïve but intuitive preteen boys. It is a tragedy reinvented as a comedy through the antics of the younger brother and his best friend. Not since Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn has the camaraderie of two boys from disparate backgrounds in a small community represented a microcosm of contemporary society. The boys' perception of the "irrational" adult world leads them to find a solution to their problem that may seem funny yet is completely logical in a Lewis Carroll sort of way; sending them on the way in their "cross-country" adventures and on to new discoveries which add a surprise twist to the plot. The story is presented in a novel way which can only be described as a docucomedy as in docudrama with a comedic twist.
Adina Borta
I mean, who would expect a treasure hidden within a comedy? Transylvanian Garlic seems to me such a treasure. It makes one laugh, and laugh with great joy, but it also shows some wonderful Romanian landscapes, great old music, a way of life that mixes ancient rituals with up-to-date technology and the amazing beauty of people everywhere. The magic of the local speech is lost in translation, but the rest is easily accessible. The very fabric of these people's life is brought to the eye and it is charming. A straightforward celebration of life!It made me think that this is what filming must have been originally: someone with a camera catching the sparkle of life around so that others might join in the appreciation of it. Stories and pictures. I think this is how Transylvanian Garlic was created. Add passion and talent and you get this fresh, funny, incredibly alive movie. If you get to talk with Radu Bazavan (the writer) or to Lucian Alexandrescu (the director) they might tell that all they wanted was people to have 90 minutes of fun. Don't get fooled: they did much more than that. They make you feel so alive that when the movie ends you want to see it again right then.
