For a long time, "Aurora" is a guessing game. There's no exposition, the camera simply observes the secretive main character (Viorel, played by director Cristi Puiu) doing questionable things, such as purposely missing his bus or train, and spying on a family as they leave for school. This effectively builds up intrigue, raising questions of his motives and inciting close examination of nearly every thing he does. Even the smallest moments, such as Viorel berating a co-worker for his lack of manners, seem to be more than meets the eye. Something is brewing, and it's just unclear what, exactly, but it's likely that this man will snap. Gradually the story starts to piece together, but not before he picks up two customized rifle firing pins and commits murder in a parking garage.The sparse story goes something like this: Viorel, troubled by his recent divorce and the passing of his father, slowly breaks down and plans to murder his wife and the people around her. A singular motive isn't necessarily given, verbally, and all of the conflict contained in this story is completely insular. There could be more going on, and Puiu leaves it open purposefully, which the last scene at the police station reinforces: "You listen like you understand me. That bothers me. You don't." These things can't be explained, and what's going on in the character's head is much too complex to be a simple reason for his depression and the subsequent murders. It raises the question, should we be able to connect with a murderer, and if we do, doesn't that belittle the subject matter? Boiling it down to a digestible conclusion isn't something the filmmaker is interested in, and it's probably his smartest decision on how to handle the subject matter.
Slowly but surely, information leaks out, bits and pieces of the main character's life are discovered. If not big on story, the picture is huge on atmosphere, and nearly every shot in its setting of Bucharest is dreary, with the interiors similarly dingy. If it sounds like an exercise in extensive depression, it is. Though it is an effective one, it's also admittedly a very slow burn, similar to its Romanian kin "4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days" or Puiu's own "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu." These films require a great degree of patience, and saying that for "Aurora" is generous considering it's probably the longest at 3 hours on the dot. The epic length doesn't really jive with the attitude of a character piece, and a slimmer cut would've benefited the film. Whereas "4 months..." had superbly directed shots and singular tense scenes, "Aurora" works more as the sum of its parts. Its mood is terrific but it lacks the stand-alone sequences that kept "4 Months..." moving.
Director Cristi Puiu's performance in his own character examination is commendable, he displays the isolation and darkness of the man with ease. A lazy performer might wander around aimlessly and argue the confusion of the main character. Instead, Puiu shows in his actions a plan carefully thought over and executed. He is not without weakness, though, and at times exhibits both fatigue of life (one scene has him, before testing the gun, attempting to shoot himself) and personal insecurity (the few scenes in which he stands up for himself, including one in a clothing store surrounded by condescending teen employees, are just as uncomfortable as any of the murders). Viorel's unpredictable nature feels less forced than it does human; never does it seem like Puiu is being mysterious for the sake of keeping the audience's attention (remember "Lost"?). Rather than connect us with a character, the filmmaker opts to create a rounded person at a very dark point in his life. The effect is downright startling. Though we don't necessarily understand Viorel, his plight is unfortunately believable.
Quite often these movies are wrongfully accused of being empty, with the direct attack on those critics or cinema-goers smitten with the Romanian new-wave, claiming they make substance where there is not. Such is the backlash against any lauded minimalist work, and "Aurora" is likely to get the same reception a lot of these films have gotten as it slowly seeps into the rest of the world. Running a tad too long and maybe a little too simplistic in its conclusion, it's really a hard film to shake from your head. Predictable it is not, and those willing to be absorbed in this existential piece are likely to find suspense in its original approach to the subject. [B+]
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