"Graduation" is proof that the plight of the white male we're currently hearing so much about in America is not limited to the U.S.In the latest film from Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, our protagonist, the middle-aged Romeo, desperately wants his daughter to get into an elite British college. He hounds her day and night about her exams. She seems like a responsible, level-headed girl, but we sense that the whole thing isn't quite as important to her as it is to her dad. Then she's sexually assaulted one day, and the emotional and physical trauma the assault causes threatens to affect her performance at her exams. Romeo decides to take matters into his own hands and we watch as things begin to spiral out of control."Graduation" is a bit one note. We understand early on that Romeo is projecting a lot onto his daughter. He's unsatisfied with his own life, which is a failure in his own eyes. He has a desultory and sullen marriage, lives in what looks to be government housing in a poor area, and is part of a traditional patriarchal system that seems to be losing its grip. "Graduation" is full of scene after scene of middle-aged men striking bargains, calling in favors, putting each other in touch with a friend of a friend. But there's an increasingly desperate quality to all of the mutual back scratching, and we sense that these guys are beginning to feel what it's like in a world where they no longer call all the shots. The final image of the film lingers on a group of young graduating Romanians. What will become of them, the film seems to ask? What future Romania will they manufacture? The answer is unclear, except for the fact that it will likely not include a place for someone like Romeo.This is the third Mungiu film I've seen after "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu" and "4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days," and while it doesn't pack anywhere near the same wallop as those other two films, it's still quite good. It reminded me an awful lot of the recent Iranian movie "The Salesman," as both feature middle-aged men going to extreme lengths to influence circumstances that are largely out of their control.Grade: A

A realistic Romanian drama about the struggles, compromises and implications of the parent's role in a family. This is a really intelligent, well made film that gives a bleak representation of contemporary life in Romania, particularly the youth who are told by their previous generation that they must hope and start fresh in a depressing state, though they are searching for their identities themselves. I liked that the film didn't stretch the emotional depth to a point that it seemed too unlikely or cliché but rather describe an honest family situation. It did in places fall flat but it's ambiguous ending alludes to the mysteries and uncertainty of life which serves the premise of the film nicely.

A small Romanian film has universal implications: How do good people get drawn into corruption even if the ramifications are hardly worth the danger? Graduation tells of a decent doctor's (Romeo, Adrian Titeni) attempt to game the testing system so his daughter, Eliza (Maria Dragus) can go to the UK to study.However, beyond this infraction lie other small corruptions that characterize a middle class in decline.Romeo has a mistress at his daughter's school. Because his wife is emotionally needy, his daughter sees her father's extramarital connection in need of addressing and expunging.Although European mores are more accepting of these transgressions, the film implies that they nevertheless corrode everywhere. The film's pace is almost serene in the face of implications from an investigation into the cheating and the questionable actions of her boyfriend surrounding her assault. It seems no facet of the doctor's life is free from the ramifications of his peccadilloes.The dialogue is spare but poignant--each character expresses feelings true to his or her development. The system is rife with corruption--no news to those who know Romania over the years. Yet built in is a subtle Nemesis waiting to pounce. While no single action of the doctor is earth moving, Romeo suffers the scorn of his wife and daughter, and he is slowly losing his mistress as she awakens to the needs of her future.If you like character-driven drama with a modest dose of sermonizing but pleasant verbal dexterity throughout, then see Graduation. Everyone gets a diploma in life navigation: "Eliza, you have to do your best. It'd be a pity to miss this chance. Some important steps in life depend on small things. And some chances shouldn't be wasted. You know, in '91, your Mum and I decided to move back. It was a bad decision." Romeo

It raises some interesting issues: divorce, teens future, infidelity, rape, pregnancy, harassment neighborhood, up to foniatric problems... The problem is that not solves nothing.Aside from the above, the entire film takes place in a permanent whisper, without change of intonation of none of the characters.It is not badly acted, is not misdirected, but is not going anywhere.