REVIEW: ‘Treasure’ hunting in Romania
Photo: Toma Cuzin (Costi) and Adrian Purcarescun (Adrian) star in Corneliu Porumboiu’s The Treasure. Photo courtesy of Adi Marineci. © 42 KM FILM. A Sundance Selects Release. Provided by IFC Extranet with permission.
The Treasure is a strangely effective movie from director Corneliu Porumboiu (Police, Adjective). Its simplicity of two men trying to make an easy Euro can be quickly dismissed, but within this simplicity lies a great deal of emotion, humor and desperation.
Costi (Cuzin Toma) lives a relatively quiet life with his wife and son. He has a job and bills to pay, but everything seems status quo. His existence in post-Communist Romania is altered when his neighbor (Adrian Purcarescu) asks him for an 800 Euro loan. This is not money that Costi has readily available, so he politely declines.
The fact that Costi is reading Robin Hood to his son when his neighbor knocks on the door should offer an idea of how the story evolves.
The neighbor knocks again, and this time he tells Costi that his family’s country estate outside Bucharest has a treasure hidden in the ground. His great-grandfather left gold before the war and the Communists takeover, and if Costi pays for a metal detector, they can split the profits of whatever they find.
Simple enough plot, and Porumboiu’s film remains simple for its entire 89-minute duration. The two men learn about the law involving found treasures. They contract an expert in metal detection, and they head for the estate.
Every step of the way, the audience follows the narrative with bated breath, wondering if Costi and his neighbor will find the gold and turn their lives around. One constantly waits for that shovel to hit something metallic — like it does in so many movies —and the payday to come forth, but The Treasure is not like other buried-treasure dramas. This one is less about the goal of the digging and more about the journey of these two men as they head, with shovels and dirt, into Romania’s past.
The performances are solid, especially from Toma. His Costi character seems like a good man who prefers to follow the rules. If they find something of historical value, he will tell the authorities, who would take 70 percent of the proceeds. Costi does not want to do anything that would disrupt his family life, and yet the drama surrounding the hidden treasure tests his ethics and morals.
The Treasure proves to be a quietly moving film of two men hunting for something deeper, and perhaps more valuable, than gold.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Treasure (2017), written and directed by Corneliu Porumboiu, stars Cuzin Toma and Adrian Purcarescu. Running time: 89 minutes. Not rated. In Romanian with English subtitles. Now on DVD. Rating: 
