The New Year that Never Came

• Bogdan Muresanu
• 139 min
• Romania, Serbia
• 2024
• Fiction

A brilliant, award-winning tragicomedy about six seemingly unconnected lives colliding during the turbulent final days of Romania’s communist regime in late 1989.

As Christmas 1989 approaches, Romania stands on the brink of revolution. The streets erupt with protests, and students challenge the regime with increasingly bold acts of defiance. Yet, for many, daily life remains overshadowed by the ever-present secret police, while preparations for a New Year’s Eve broadcast honoring dictator Ceausescu press on at the state-run TV station.

Unaware they are at the heart of history in the making, six individuals face personal crises as tensions mount toward a dramatic breaking point. Bogdan Muresanu’s Venice-awarded debut delivers one of the year’s most powerful finales – set to the pulse of Ravel’s “Bolero” – melding historical weight with cinematic finesse and emotional depth.

- Johan Blomqvist

• Historia
• Drama
• Epok
• Politik
• Motstånd
• Uppbrott