A Farewell to Fools (2013)
Directed by Bogdan Dreyer

Film Review

This Romanian production, based on a Romanian novel by screenwriter Titus Popovici, deserves to be much better than it is, particularly given the pedigree of its two lead actors Gérard Depardieu and Harvey Keitel. Both of these acting giants seem to be lost at sea in a poorly constructed wartime drama that lacks depth and any emotional resonance, perhaps as a result of its authors' ham-fisted attempts to steer it towards farce. What could and should have been a powerful commentary on the frailty of human nature merely impresses as a lukewarm muddle, directed with no real flair and performed without any enthusiasm by a disinterested cast.

Film Synopsis

During World War II, in Nazi occupied Romania, a German soldier is found dead on the outskirts of a small town. Hearing of this, the German authorities issue an ultimatum to the town's leaders. They will all be shot dead unless they can identify the person who killed the soldier. Of course, there is no way the town's leaders can hope to find the assassin so, led by Father Johanis, they put pressure on the local idiot, Ipu, to confess to the killing...