The Happiest Girl in the World

Cea mai fericita fata din lume

(Netherlands , Romania, 2009, 99 mins, 35mm)

PROD: Ada Solomon
SCR: Agustina Stanciu, Radu Jude
CAM: Marius Panduru
ED: Catalin F. Cristutiu
Cast: Vasile Muraru, Andreea Bosneag, Violeta Haret, Serban Pavlu, Andi Vasluianu

Radu Jude's debut feature shares many of the qualities of the recent resurgence in Romanian cinema--superb acting and perfectly executed dialogue amongst them--but what one might not expect is the alternately dry and just plain funny sense of humour on display.

The title is ironic, of course, because 18-year-old Delia (newcomer Andreea Bosneag, spot on) is anything but happy. Winning a spiffy new car in a contest seems like a stroke of good luck for the teen. There's even the chance to appear in a TV commercial in Bucharest. So the whole family piles into their old clunker and makes their way to the capital, a journey that begins and ends in bickering. Once there, the provincial Delia is forced to deal with the snobby pseudo-sophisticates executing the commercial while at the same time realizing that her parents have their own ideas about what to do with her car--sell it and pocket the cash...

"Like the work of compatriot Corneliu Porumboiu (12:08 East of Bucharest), this wryly humorous feature debut by director Radu Jude (The Tube With a Hat, the most-awarded Romanian short ever) is hyperrealist in style, with a sharply observed script.... [T]he film boasts some terrific dialogue and pitch-perfect performances..."--Variety

Winner, Forum Jury Prize, Berlin 2009.

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