If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle Review: Contemplative, Tense Romanian Prison Drama

rating: 3.5

Romanian cinema is, even to feverish cineastes, a nascent construct; after all, how many films from the region can anyone name? Last decade, a bare handful of highly-acclaimed films such as The Death of Mr. Lazarescu and 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days - which pointedly took the Romanian state to task in different, though equally valid ways €“ abounded, but to most, that corner of cinema remains a mystery. The latest Romanian film to reach our shores, If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle, arrives without the same fanfare, unsurprising given its far more personal, less dialectical nature, but it is still a quietly stirring, intense genre effort all the same. Florin žerban€™s film wears its shonky, worn aesthetic proudly on its sleeve; gritty, washed-out visuals only emphasise the hopelessness of young prison inmate Silviu (George PiŸtereanu), as he finishes up a four-year stint and prepares to return to civilisation. When his brother visits, informing him that their mother (Clara Vodƒ) wants to move to Italy and take the brother along also, Silviu is none-too impressed. Sparse and spare dialogue creates a chilly, discomfiting mood; something is wrong, and we don€™t yet know why. As we open, Silviu has fifteen days left in prison. Keeping your head down for that little time should be easy, but not with savagely antagonistic guards, who adminster him a beating simply for peering out past a fence at his impending freedom. The viciousness of other inmates - jealous at his upcoming release, and keen to bait him into violent action that might extend his stay - does little to help. Silviu is youthful and fresh-faced, which makes his predicament all the more devastating; a stolen glance at a young psychology student visiting the clink, Ana (Ada Condeescu), symbolises hope outside of the prison walls. It is a charming little scene, but not indicative of what is to follow; it is a merciful moment of levity in a grimly uncompromising work. There is so much sadness in this film; a one-sided call between Silviu and his mother €“ a piecemeal conversation during field work, taking place on a phone smuggled into the prison €“ only helps build this image of the young angry male which actor PiŸtereanu embodies so perfectly. A brilliantly-acted mid-film confrontation between Sivliu and his mother clues us in on why he doesn€™t want his brother jetting off with her to Italy, and it is absolutely heartbreaking. This desperate situation is only made worse by the administrative barriers in Silviu€™s way, most prominently the peculiar bureaucratic decision that once inmates have received their final parole hearing, they can have no more home visits. Silviu tries so hard to avoid conflict on the inside, while handling his own on the outside, an impossible balancing act when he has little control of anything until he is free. His scarce sense of collection is conveyed meticulously by PiŸtereanu, smouldering at all times, before exploding into brash intensity in the film€™s third act. The tense final-reel standoff is perhaps unnecessary, yet played out with an unwavering efficiency. There is a profound irony that a system intended €“ at least in the opinion of some €“ to rehabilitate and curb violence only create a viciously endemic cycle of it here. žerban uniquely opts to convey this not with a pulsing score and frenzied visuals - rather, it is one of the more sedate sieges ever filmed, utterly theatrical, and perhaps best likened to a play. Resting on PiŸtereanu and Condeescu€™s fierce turns, it still invigorates. Those looking for a fun night at the cinema should best avoid; this is an at times impossibly desperate story with seemingly no positive end in sight. Sure enough, the film€™s bemusing title still remains elliptical and elusive right to the final shot, but there's a quiet dignity behind the brutality. In a flash, it unexpectedly ends, seguing seamlessly into the credits, and we€™re left to ponder what follows. Bare-bones technical chops allow two outstanding young actors to hog the limelight in this nail-biting Romanian thriller-drama. If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle is in UK cinemas this Friday.