Lt. Apostol Bologa could feel none of those qualities. Due to a districting quirk, he ended up on the wrong side in the Great War, a Romanian on the side of Austro-Hungary. Feeling like a traitor, he tries to redeem himself somehow... and thereby hangs a heartbreaking tale.
"Forest Of The Hanged" is an exceptional film on all levels. It played at the Romanian Film Festival at NYC's Lincoln Center last week, so I was probably the only Irishman at the festival but I'm glad I went (happily, the picture was sub-titled). I had no idea the Romanians were such advanced filmmakers - I don't know what I was expecting, actually. What I saw was acting seldom seen on the big screen, and a directing job so competent and nuanced I was emotionally exhausted at the end of the film. In fact, the director played a key role, and was one of the best performers in the picture. The sets and the photography were superb - I think perfect is a better word.
The film is similar in theme to 1957's "Paths Of Glory" but delves even deeper into the psyches of its characters. Although it is a war picture there are very few battle scenes and concentrates mainly on motivations and consequences.
If any IMDb reader gets the chance, go see it. I don't know how, though, as it's not available in any format except the 35mm print I saw it in. It's not a feel-good picture, but I can't miss the chance to recommend one of the all-time great pictures nobody's ever heard of. Incidentally, the running time is 154 minutes (2hrs 34min), not 1hr 54min - be prepared for an extra half-hour over the IMDb site run time.
