One stolen motorcycle. One stolen day. Romanian cinema's most devastating 24-hour romance.
After he fails to be accepted in college, Vali is questioned by police for participating in various thefts. He needs an alibi and he thinks the best one would be his father in Bucharest. To get there, he steals a motorcycle. In Bucharest he meets store clerk Anișoara, and he invites her to a seaside escapade. Their one day of love and future optimism is ended abruptly by a tragic motorcycle accident.
Acting
Geo Costiniu's restless, wounded desperation
Cinematography
Bleached socialist landscapes that breathe
Director
Timotei Ursu
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made during the 'mini-liberalization' of 1970s Romania, the film smuggles bleak social critique through apparent romantic tragedy—state censors missed the class commentary entirely.
The motorcycle was genuinely stolen for production; director Timotei Ursu had to intervene with police to prevent the actor's actual arrest during filming.
RO
