POLICE, ADJECTIVE

(A.k.a. POLITIST ADJECTIV)

From the opening silent sequence of a teenaged youth being followed through the barren streets of Romania (Vaslui, to be precise) by a plain-clothed cop, POLICE, ADJECTIVE has that unmistakable stamp of 'European cinema' all over it. The wide shots that accentuate the sense of isolation; the grey landscape of poverty and decay; the heads-down solitude of all characters: these factors combine to paint a grim setting akin to that of POSSESSION, ANGST, I STAND ALONE and WE ARE WHAT WE ARE. Cristi (Dragos Bucur), the cop in question, has been keeping tabs on teen Victor (Dan Cogalniceanu) who he believed was selling drugs at the local school. However, as he tells his boss Anghelache (Vlad Ivanov) in an almost comically one-sided discussion, it appears his informant Alex (Alexandru Sabadac) was wrong: Victor is no dealer, he'd simply offered some hashish to a couple of mates one day.

The upshot of this lengthy exchange is that Cristi must follow protocol and pursue an arrest. After all, this is Romania and the law is upheld rigidly. Cristi knows this, but he also knows that Victor will face a hefty sentence for doing ... well, nothing really. But, the copper with a conscience is sent on his way by a non-plussed boss and told to do the necessary.

Our beleaguered detective agrees to resume his pursuit of the juvenile 'drug dealer', but takes it upon himself to employ a little more surveillance first - of Victor, Alex and their close friends. After which, Cristi still remains unsure of the worthiness in making an arrest: can you really ruin someone's future for the sake of such a menial offence?

Combined of long, largely silent exterior scenes and gritty interior conversations, POLICE, ADJECTIVE is never what could be described as a pacy film. It's quite slow in this regard. But it is engrossing, even when we're basically doing nothing more than watching a man walk through a quiet suburb.

Writer-director Corneliu Porumboiu, he of the celebrated 12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST, conducts affairs with a cold, clinical eye towards the mundane and routine. The brilliantly understated performances and sparsely required dialogue accentuate this, and yet there is a constant tension felt by the nothingness of Cristi's actions and the silence that resonates through so many scenes.

As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, there is an air of loneliness and social dishevelment that only European cinema can muster this well - but it's not oppressive; on the contrary, each frame (be it of derelict buildings or Cristi stood smoking outside a rotten old telephone box) is quite beautifully captured.

Ultimately a police procedural, ADJECTIVE is so refreshing because it offers a fresh slant. Not only does it provide an insight into the Romanian way of policing (not that different to how it's done here, film-wise at least), but it reveals a country where suspicion lies not just round every corner but also in each wide open space.

There are moments of humour, admittedly, but by-and large POLICE, ADJECTIVE is a deliberately humdrum exercise that serves to highlight the banality of bureaucracy quite brilliantly.

It's also expertly acted, very well shot and edited, and builds to an emotional crux that quizzes the morality of justice in a manner that isn't a million miles removed from the more devastating A SHORT FILM ABOUT KILLING.

POLICE, ADJECTIVE won the 'Un Certain Regard' prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and is a very worthy champ. Just don't go into it expect anything other than rather languid, lengthily constructed scenes of almost pure silence, and a quiet crime story that builds almost subliminally. It's like THE FRENCH CONNECTION, but without the obligatory action scenes (or Gene Hackman acting the tit in a Santa suit).

It's a great film and it comes very highly recommended.

I'm sure Artificial Eye will do the film complete justice upon its official DVD release on Valentine's Day, but this screener disc gives no clues as to the eventual quality.

Unfortunately it's simply a DVD-R with a rather soft and video-like transfer of the film, with Romanian stereo audio and burned-in English subtitles. No extras or menus, of course.

It will, however, look and sound great on the official DVD - I'm certain of that, as I'm a big fan of Artificial Eye. No word on extra features yet, but there are likely to be a few interesting asides.

POLICE, ADJECTIVE is a highly rewarding film, simple and intimate; epic and universal: a curious paradox that manages to be bleak, uplifting and satirical all at once. Recommended.

Review by Stuart Willis