Sick Product of a Sick System

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

I loved this movie! A well crafted and thoughtful story, packed with interesting, quirky and funny characters from a community whose everyday lives are a literal mystery to the vast majority of those watching. The two main characters, young lads whose desire to help leads them to attempt to make real their fevered flights of fancy, embark on a road trip to what really was, for a brief period, the Hollywood of Romania - Cluj. How they get there, the comical encounters along the way, and the family secret ultimately revealed to them makes for a heart warming story that will bring a genuine smile to your face. No doubt this film was an act of passion for the Producers but for us, the audience, their no doubt herculean effort was truly worth it!

Even for one who speaks no Romanian, the subtitles often seem superfluous. The impressive acting and wonderful direction convey meaning without the need for spoken words. Who am I to write a review; just a fellow photographer lucky enough to have been invited to a screening. What is "Garlic?" - Nothing more than a timeless "Romeo and Juliet" written into a modern setting yet addressing age old problems in the language of two naïve but intuitive preteen boys. It is a tragedy reinvented as a comedy through the antics of the younger brother and his best friend. Not since Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn has the camaraderie of two boys from disparate backgrounds in a small community represented a microcosm of contemporary society. The boys' perception of the "irrational" adult world leads them to find a solution to their problem that may seem funny yet is completely logical in a Lewis Carroll sort of way; sending them on the way in their "cross-country" adventures and on to new discoveries which add a surprise twist to the plot. The story is presented in a novel way which can only be described as a docucomedy as in docudrama with a comedic twist.

Lucky as I attended a private screening of this movie recently in Miami. Little did I expect as I could only think of how my first experience with foreign films was much about being nice with story telling. Not only did a nice delivery win my hard to get editing thumbs up but casting characters via the locale and relevance of each role made for a very strong and smart silliness for enjoying this movie. The mix of minds and words all within the story line delivered far past those jaded minded lookers minds for the pure fun of it all. Simple messages in life are delivered as most relevant and at the right time. Think Babette's Feast.

"Usturoi", or "Transylvanian Garlic" as its know to the international audience is quite probably the best Romanian comedy to date. It features the journey of two young boys on their way to "success" - and it really is the journey that makes up the entire movie, which is filled with local humor.The cast, even though most are non-professional actors, is absolutely incredible and add to the originality of this movie. At times you feel like you're watching a movie with commentary from the actors themselves, which is totally new in terms of Romanian comedy.The portraying of local character types is frighteningly accurate and for the most part, totally hilarious. Not adding to spoilers, but I do have to mention that some actors are actually Romanian bloggers and seeing them on screen emphasizes their "real-life" personalities and that always brings a wide smile to the audience. This is a well crafted piece and considering that most of the cast (including writer) are at their first attempt, I consider it to be a little masterpiece of the genre.