Undeva la Palilula

A young pediatrician named Serafim arrives in Palilula, a small town somewhere off the map, where he is to start his first job after graduating from medical school. But he soon realizes that his dream of practising medicine in this town, a place where time has stopped, will not be fulfilled – and not merely because it’s been ages since a child was born there. Thus the maternity ward is used as a spa, a public house, an insane asylum, and various other things. In addition, the local doctors together with the larger-than-life inhabitants (slaves to the bottle one and all) organize endless lavish revels, never worrying themselves too much about work. Set in 1960s Romania, this original, artistically stylized movie is a successful allegory of the collapse of the communist regime. In his late film debut, renowned theater director Silviu Purcărete invites viewers into a world full of bizarre characters, surreal spectacles, and Kafkaesque situations. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)