The Paper Will Be Blue
| The Paper Will Be Blue | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Radu Muntean |
| Produced by | Dragoș Potop Dragoș Vâlcu |
| Written by | Alexandru Baciu Radu Muntean Răzvan Rădulescu |
| Starring |
Dragoș Bucur Ion Sapdaru Mimi Brănescu |
| Cinematography | Tudor Lucaciu |
| Edited by | Alexandru Radu |
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Production
company |
Multimedia Est
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| Distributed by | Transilvania Film |
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Release date
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Running time
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92 minutes |
| Country | Romania |
| Language | Romanian |
| Budget | €700,000 (estimated) |
The Paper Will Be Blue (Romanian: Hârtia va fi albastră) is a 2006 Romanian film written and directed by Radu Muntean. The story is set on the night between 22 and 23 December 1989, the time of the Romanian Revolution. It follows a Militia unit which one man abandons to take part in the revolution, and the other members have to search for him. The film uses subtle humour and was shot in a cinéma vérité style with handheld camera.
The film premiered in competition at the 2006 Locarno International Film Festival. It received two Gopo Awards and was nominated for nine more.
The film begins with a scene of an armoured personnel carrier (APC) and a military checkpoint in the background. Two men come out of it, one in civilian clothing, the other in a Militia (Miliţia) uniform, and light up cigarettes. Suddenly, the soldiers manning the checkpoint open fire and kill all of the APC's occupants.
The film then cuts to a Militia night patrol in Bucharest. Out of enthusiasm, one of the men, Costi Andronescu, abandons the mission and decides to fight for the cause of the Revolution at the Television building. His CO, Lt. Neagu and the rest of the fireteam search for him during the confusing night of 22 December 1989.
Costi meets a group in a truck on their way to defend the TV station. He is in uniform and greeted as a brother and told "you are a civilian now" and he swaps items of uniform with the other men for civilian clothing. He and an unnamed Gypsy are asked to step down as they need to take an injured soldier to hospital after the truck is flagged down.
Costi and the Gypsy end up in a villa with soldiers and fighters under Army command. The villa is under attack by what are presumed to be forces loyal to the Communist regime and the two men are ordered to defend it. At one point, however, they realize that the "enemy" are also Army soldiers and try to explain the situation to one of the officers at the scene, only to be branded "terrorists" and "Arabs". Costi is found to be partly in uniform, which further aggravates their situation. He receives a mild beating and the two are confined in the cellar. Later a Colonel checks out Costi's bona fides and he is allowed to go. Meanwhile, his CO Lt. Neagu (who treats Costi and his men like sons) has been driving all over the city until he calls at Costi's mother's place where they watch TV, smoke cigarettes and wait for him to turn up, fearing he is dead.
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Wikipedia