I can understand how some might find this movie slow or dull. I can see how someone expecting a traditional vampire movie would be disappointed. But this is a movie that asks to be taken on its own terms. If you're willing to go where it takes you, it's absolutely entertaining.
No spoilers here, except to say as others have that it's not a standard vampire movie in any respect. (For me, that's a plus. I'm a lifelong horror fan, but the older I get, the more I appreciate subtlety; and Strigoi is certainly subtle.) I concur with other reviewers who say it's a tough movie to categorize in terms of genre; I found it dryly funny, but I wouldn't call it a comedy. Neither is it a horror movie in any conventional sense. There's a touch of magic realism in that the vampires are not so much literal entities as they are metaphors for a past that refuses to die - understandable, since the movie is very firmly located in modern Romania.
That specificity of time and place is one of my favorite aspects of the film. While I don't have direct personal experience of Romania, I do have family from other parts of Eastern Europe, and the film's casual mix of modernity and tradition ring true for me. So do the characters' droll humor and level of comfort with death and the unknown, all of which is met with a shrug, a wink, and/or a raised glass. The script is excellent and captures the banter between families who have known each other not only for a lifetime, but for generations.
The acting, too, is strong. Cătălin Paraschiv as the protagonist, Vlad, scarcely alters his voice or facial expressions throughout the film but still manages to convey a wide range of emotions and remains sympathetic. The ensemble cast is endearing, particularly the local policeman (who speculates that a local landowner ought to consider growing marijuana, because it's natural and never hurt anybody) and the mourners keeping vigil over the body of a local patriarch to ensure he doesn't become strigoi. The Romanian accents are thick but intelligible, and it's clear that everyone's having a good time with the material.
Did I mention the music? The music's great.
I wasn't expecting to enjoy Strigoi anywhere near as much as I did, so I'm happy to pass along a recommendation in the hopes that someone else will find the film entertaining as well.
No spoilers here, except to say as others have that it's not a standard vampire movie in any respect. (For me, that's a plus. I'm a lifelong horror fan, but the older I get, the more I appreciate subtlety; and Strigoi is certainly subtle.) I concur with other reviewers who say it's a tough movie to categorize in terms of genre; I found it dryly funny, but I wouldn't call it a comedy. Neither is it a horror movie in any conventional sense. There's a touch of magic realism in that the vampires are not so much literal entities as they are metaphors for a past that refuses to die - understandable, since the movie is very firmly located in modern Romania.
That specificity of time and place is one of my favorite aspects of the film. While I don't have direct personal experience of Romania, I do have family from other parts of Eastern Europe, and the film's casual mix of modernity and tradition ring true for me. So do the characters' droll humor and level of comfort with death and the unknown, all of which is met with a shrug, a wink, and/or a raised glass. The script is excellent and captures the banter between families who have known each other not only for a lifetime, but for generations.
The acting, too, is strong. Cătălin Paraschiv as the protagonist, Vlad, scarcely alters his voice or facial expressions throughout the film but still manages to convey a wide range of emotions and remains sympathetic. The ensemble cast is endearing, particularly the local policeman (who speculates that a local landowner ought to consider growing marijuana, because it's natural and never hurt anybody) and the mourners keeping vigil over the body of a local patriarch to ensure he doesn't become strigoi. The Romanian accents are thick but intelligible, and it's clear that everyone's having a good time with the material.
Did I mention the music? The music's great.
I wasn't expecting to enjoy Strigoi anywhere near as much as I did, so I'm happy to pass along a recommendation in the hopes that someone else will find the film entertaining as well.