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The Oak

Original title: Balanta · Turkish title: Balanta
1992 · 1 h 45 min
Directed by Lucian Pintilie · Romania · Balkan Cinema
ComedyDrama

Cast

Maia Morgenstern Răzvan Vasilescu Victor Rebengiuc

Credits

Written by: Ion Baiesu

Plot

After her father's death, a young teacher in Ceaușescu's Romania, whose life is falling apart, travels to Bucharest and finds a country in decay.

Sinekatalog’s take

Lucian Pintilie's tragicomedy follows a teacher losing her father and drifting through decaying late-Ceaușescu Romania. Wild, bitter and surreal, with Maia Morgenstern superb, it is a landmark of post-communist Romanian cinema.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.

Ratings

IMDb: 7.8 / 10 (4,350 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.

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