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Exactly 150 years ago, on January 24 1859, Moldavia and Wallachia were united in the first step to modern Romania. In honor of this historic occasion, here’s a look at the revival of Romanian cinema.

For many years, Romanian cinema was not considered among Europe’s finest. France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Hungary led both artistic and technical achievements. But after the fall of communism, Romanian cinema slowly grew. In the last few years, it’s gone from one success to another – so that it could now be described as a rising star of European cinema.

Here is an overview of some of the most acclaimed and successful contemporary Romanian films, all great introductions to the region’s cinema.

5. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005)

This medical drama follows the title character as he waits for attention in a rundown hospital emergency ward – and unwittingly begins a nightmarish journey of horrendous mistreatment at the hands of the hospital staff. This bleak film is not easy to watch. Some say (and I agree) that it brings to mind Lars Von Triers‘ The Kingdom, though more realistic and less hallucinatory. The movie won numerous awards in films festivals, including Un Certain Regard award in 2005 Cannes Film Festival. To this day it is the most awarded Romanian film of all time.

4. 12:08 East of Bucharest (2006)

Set 16 years after the Revolution that brought Communist rule to an end in 1989, this Romanian satire centers around a local television station that invites several residents to share their memories. As several eccentric individuals share their stories, they must answer questions from viewers who doubt those events ever took place. This media satire has a dry wit that makes it fun to watch – while the skeptical take on historical memories adds a sad overtone to the comedy. Surprisingly, this is director Corneliu Porumboiu’s first feature film. The achievement was great enough to earn him The Golden Camera – the Cannes Film Festival award for best first film – and to garner an impressive 95% good reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

3. The Way I Spent the End of the World (2006)

Set in Bucharest during the final year of Ceausescu’s dictatorship, this lighthearted, bittersweet drama offers a warm look at the life of one family in Romania. Teenage Eva accidentally breaks a bust of Ceausescu at school. For her crime against the nation, she is sent away to a technical school where she and a boy named Andrei plan to escape Romania for good. Meanwhile, Eva’s seven-year-old brother, Lalalilu, decides that his sister’s exile is all Ceausescu’s fault. With the help of some school buddies, he sets out to assassinate the dictator. Actress Doroteea Petre charmed the Cannes audience in her role as Eva and won the Un Certain Regard award. Like 12:08 East of Bucharest, this is director Catalin Mitulescu’s first feature film. It is hard to believe, as the film is “an astonishingly accomplished piece of filmmaking” (Cinematical). It is undoubtedly one sign of the blossoming of Romanian cinema.

2. California Dreamin’ (2007)

This based-on-a-true-story political satire is set against the backdrop of the war in Kosovo. A NATO train equipped with military supplies and weapons is passing through Romanian territory. Since the train has no official documents and received only verbal permission from the Romanian authorities, it is stopped in the middle of nowhere by the corrupt head of a railway station, who aims to manipulate the situation to his benefit. Like its predecessors, this movie also won the Un Certain Regard award in the Cannes Film Festival 2007 - the third year in a row of Cannes winnings for Romania, an undreamt-of achievement just few years earlier.

The young director Cristian Nemescu had shifted successfully from directing many award-winning shorts to full length films. Tragically, he was killed in a car accident during post-production - a big loss for the Romanian film industry.

1. 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days (2007)

This is the film which firmly established Romania as a major force in early 21st-century world cinema. Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, Cristian Mungiu’s excruciatingly intense, realistic and minimalistic drama is set in Bucharest in the mid-1980s, when dictator Nicolae Ceausescu still held power. In this masterful, gut-wrenching depiction of personal trauma and decaying society, a young college student, Gabita (Laura Vasiliu) finds herself in big trouble when she discovers that she’s been pregnant - for quite a while, hence the film’s title. With abortion illegal, she turns to her roommate, Otilia (Anamaria Marinca), for help. On the day the film takes place, the pair connects with a black market doctor, Bebe (Vlad Ivanov), to abort Gabita’s pregnancy. But of course, it isn’t that simple. The resulting 24 hours is a harrowing descent into a world in which the possibility of tragedy lurks around every corner. Excellent reception worldwide and 97% positive reviews at Rotten Tomatoes got this film onto many lists as one of the best of 2007 / 2008.

What interests Romanian filmmakers in the 21st century? No romantic comedies, epic fantasies or costume dramas on this list… The main theme that intrigues Romanian filmmaker today, almost 20 years after the fall of the iron curtain, is still Communism, life under it and the marks it left on society. The films described here, even the comic ones, deal with “heavy” issues and have serious, sad tones.

It’s well-known that after major political changes, cinema tends to be realistic and gritty: Italian Neo-Realism after World War II, the French New Wave that followed it, the few Iranian Films made soon after the Islamic Revolution, Israeli films from the 70s and 80s…

In light of these cinematic waves and the recent Romanian successes, there is a good chance that Romania will continue to give us contemporary cinematic masterpieces.

Seen some other hidden cinematic pearls from around the globe? Do share!

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