The adjective "whip-smart" was coined to describe clever, outlandish, and thoroughly entertaining creative productions, such as Corneliu Porumboiu's The Whistlers.
Hailing from Romania, Porumboiu is probably best known outside Europe for his thrilling dramas 12:08 East of Bucharest (2006) and Police, Adjective (2008). In his latest film, he mixes what might sound like stock ingredients into a heady and invigorating brew. (I was lucky enough to see it at Fantastic Fest on the last day of the fest back in late September and it remains one of my top experiences.)
And it flies! Running 97 minutes, here's the synopsis:
"In The Whistlers, not everything is as it seems for Cristi, a police inspector in Bucharest who plays both sides of the law. Embarking with the beautiful Gilda on a high-stakes heist, both will have to navigate the twists and turns of corruption, treachery and deception. A trip to the Canary Islands to learn a secret whistling language might just be what they need to pull it off."
Vlad Ivanov, Catrinel Marlon, Rodica Lazar, and Antonio Buíl star in Romania's official submission for International Feature Film for the 2020 Academy Awards. Magnolia Pictures will release The Whistlers in theaters on February 28, 2020.
Enjoy the trailer below.