Beyond The Hills DVD Review

Director: Cristian Mungiu

Starring: Cosmina Stratan, Cristina Flutur, Valeriu Andriuta, Dana Tapalaga

Rating: 12

Running Time: 155 minutes

Extras: Trailers

Cristian Mungiu’s BEYOND THE HILLS is a story of heartache, battling demons and dealing with life in a convent in rural Romania. It’s tiring merely reading the synopsis, and watching the film is just as much of a battle as being based on a real life story, Mungiu makes sure that we are looking at this story at real life pace.

From the get go there is heightened agony; our protagonists meet at a train station, and within seconds one of them is sobbing their heart out. It sets the story out as a mission – to figure out why she is already in tears.

Performances from Cosmina Stratatan and Cristina Flutur as the estranged ex lovers are what makes the film. Alina’s (Flutur) story might be the forefront of the action but it is Stratatan’s Voichita that feels the most heartbreaking. Even though she is in obvious distress about what is going on with Alina, she seems the most unfazed by it, adding much more character dynamic to the story.

The film takes you on a wide range of emotions and as you finish watching BEYOND THE HILLS leaves you with a million questions and a million meanings as to what you have just seen. Films like BEYOND THE HILLS come along once in a while to show audiences that it is not all hope and light at the end of the tunnel, and also real life does not work as quickly as the movies would like you to hope. A thrilling and nail biting piece from Mungiu, and quite possibly one of his best yet.

BEYOND THE HILLS is released via Artificial Eye today