cix_one The director is a well known-Romanian stage actor, and the movie (his directorial debut) shows it - or suffers from it, depending on your point of view. The subject of the picture is inspired from a true and painful story of repression under communism. The story is told with humor, but many times the humor is over the top, cheapening somewhat the tragedy that swept over the Eastern block after the second world war.The movie is framed as a fantasy/allegory the director and his crew take a few liberties with the script. The editing however is a bit sloppy (modern cars showing in the background in the field scene, mike booms cutting into the frame) and that left me with a tinge of disappointment.On the bright side, the director's brilliance as an artist shines through in many scenes, such as one in which he masterfully and seamlessly weaves in a silent black and white comedy scene in the best Laurel and Hardy tradition.

woinaroschy_1979 It's difficult to describe the feelings I had when watching this movie..I'm not sure if this movie is intended for all types of audiences, I think some people will be bored or dislike the plot altogether. As some reviewers have already mentioned, the movie is not objective. In it, communists and Russians are described as invaders and oppressors...but the viewer has to understand that just as Germans are depicted as cruel Nazis in all the WWII movies about concentration camps, like "Schindels list" or "Sophies choice", here the Russians are seen as the cruel invaders by the inhabitants of a small Romanian village in the aftermath of WWII. One has not to forget that this is a story set in a specific time and place.I can't describe to you how funny this movie is at points, the dialog and word games are brilliant and reflect the whole genius of Horatiu Malaele. You find yourself rooting for the characters and going through the motions with them, through good and bad. I can't honestly say that the movie is a masterpiece, neither plot nor acting isn't Oscar material...but then, since seeing it, which was about 8 months ago, I can't keep it out of my head because it made a really strong impression on me. I don't exactly understand why or how, but there is something deeply human, tragic and beautiful in it that just won't be denied. A friend asked me which movie had made an impression on me lately, and I was myself surprised when I did not answer "Black Swan" but "Silent Wedding". Not to diss "Black Swan", which I thought indeed Oscar worthy...but I guess this really says something about this movie.

dj_pleata2007 This is a comment dedicated to setting things straight about the way this movie was filmed.It is the very first movie directed by Horatiu Malaele,please try to keep that in mind before watching it and complaining about some inconsistencies in the story line.I would very much like to see if Spielberg or Hitchcock did better in their first movies.It is not a masterpiece,nor the best description of the period, granted,but it is touching and the characters manage to grow on you if you just give this movie a chance.The story is simple,placed in a period that is not as well known of the communist period in Romania,after the WW2,when Russian troops still occupied the country.The movie begins with a present day filming crew that wants to make a movie about the paranormal activities reported in a village.The village mayor takes them to the site where these reports occur and on the way he begins to tell the story of what had happened there a long time ago.The movie flashes back to 1950 and presents the everyday lives of the people living there and,in particular,the lives of Mara and Iancu,two youngsters that decide to get married.The rest of the movie presents what problems they encounter on their wedding day.I was particularly impressed with the movie because of the stories my grandfather told about this period and the fact that this movie presents several aspects that coincide with what he said.I'll give it a 9 because it is a good first movie for a new director and the story is well written and the characters perform true to life.

Sebastian Despite the favorable comments left here by other users, I think that watching this film was a total waste of time. About 45 minutes pass by before the main story even begins. Thus way too much time is wasted introducing the audience to every single character. The film jumps from genre to genre without bothering to resolve every storyline it begins. At one point you may expect this to develop into a crime story, but you can only guess who the perpetrator was. The next moment the film seems to turn into a horror story but after only two scenes that storyline ends without being resolved properly. The key scene may lead you to believe that this film was intended to be a comedy. The actors had to mime everything during that part. But sometimes you can almost "see" the director telling everyone to look right / left / up or down - the whole thing is not exactly acting at its best. The comedy part ends and drama kicks in. Obviously the film makers couldn't make up their mind! The basic story line might have been turned into an interesting film, but unfortunately this chance was wasted.