Unravelling the twisted crime films of Corneliu Porumboiu

For this episode, we’re dipping back in to the archive of writing on the Klassiki Journal for an essay on the Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu. The most elusive of the founding fathers of the Romanian New Wave, Porumboiu’s postmodern comedies play on questions of language and identity. Nowhere is this more apparent than in his crime dramas, Police Adjective and The Whistlers, where genre thrills undergo playful revisions to the point of absurdity. As Porumboiu completes work on his first feature in seven years, there’s never been a better time to take a closer look at his deceptively playful films.

Read the original piece here and watch Porumboiu’s gangster film The Whistlers on Klassiki now until 13 August 2026.

Get in touch: podcast@klassiki.online.

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Intro music by Juliet Merchant.