User Reviews

The promotion of this movie as a comedy really does it a disservice. In reality, it's very twisty, complex neo-noir, which is fine. I was attracted to the film partly because I had heard it was funny, but it isn't (although there is a little bit of wry/cynical humor). Misrepresenting a movie's genre sets it up to fail with viewers, who go in expecting something different.

If you do like neo-noir crime dramas with a lot of references to past classic films (both Romanian and American), this is definitely one to check out. It has a great soundtrack as well.

Cristi is a middle aged undercover police officer with mommy issues who is trying to find the location of some stolen money. So he goes to a remote island to learn a whistling language that will allow him to communicate with the criminals from a distance. There he rekindles a relationship with his old flame and his priorities change. As both the criminals and his colleagues are onto Cristi what choices will he make to come out clean of his predicament? A clever game of cops and robbers ensues.

Summing up this multi layered, not always coherent plot, is not an easy task. THE WHISTLERS takes a long time to get going but it's many elements come together building up to something special. Heavy on movie references it is heavily inspired by Tarantino movies, although the style of the cinematography is rather dull.

The script on paper must look great, but this is the case where a writer should let go of his work and let someone else direct. Cornelliu Porumboiu helmed 13 films but seems to be still searching for his directing style. While all the cast do their job well, the motives of their characters for the majority of the film are obscure to say the least.

But if this is the originality you are looking for THE WHISTLERS is for you. With good timing and a genuine sense of wit it is a rewarding experience for those who will stick with it until the end.

... but with lashings of skulduggery, this enjoyable and original noirish escapade mixes Spanish villains with corrupt Romanian detectives via a cryptic whistle to cover their tracks.

The maturity of a film school is measured not only by masterpieces or films awarded with gold at major festivals, but also by 'average' movies, belonging to popular genres or film niches. If this criterion is correct, then we can consider Corneliu Porumboiu's 'La Gomera' (English title is 'The Whistlers') as one of these maturity films. Porumboiu is one of the best-known directors of the 'new wave' of Romanian cinema, which has captured the attention of audiences and festival juries a decade and a half ago, initially based on a minimalist approach to the present time and the near past. His films made over the last 14 years are characterized by a variety of styles, genres and themes. Very difficult to predict what the next Corneliu Porumboiu film will look like. With 'La Gomera' the Romanian director walks resolutely in the 'film noir' area writing and making a mafia-themed thriller that manages to capture and keep the viewers' attention by giving them a story that is at the same time original and respectful of all the fundamental rules of the genre.

The story of the film describes a very plausible encounter between the world of gangsters in Western Europe and the relatively new categories of criminals and corrupt lawmakers acquired from the Eastern Europe after the Iron Curtain fell. The hero of the film is Cristi (played by Vlad Ivanov), a corrupt Romanian policeman who gets into deep trouble in a drug trafficking and money laundering business with international implications. The maneuvers of the underground world of criminals bring him to a Canary island where he will be forced to learn the whistling language of the locals to communicate in a coded manner, protected by the electronic interceptions of his pursuers. The original combination of action plans gives Porumboiu the opportunity to suggest to the viewers thoughts about our world super-supervised electronically and deprived of privacy, about the relationship between tradition and modernity, between modern and archaic communication languages.

All these are added atop a classic 'film noir' structure in which the bad guys face the very bad guys, and where the inevitable love story adds to the suspense. There is a lot of blood flowing and plenty of bullets are shot to satisfy genre addicts, but what remains in memory is the consistent, elegant style, full of shadows and sombre colors, backed by an exceptional soundtrack, as well as the professional acting of the entire team of actors. Vlad Ivanov, one of the best theater and film actors of the moment in Romania, consolidates with each new role in films made abroad his stature of international star. He is surounded three actresses who have the opportunity to perform three significant and very well-sketched feminine roles: Catrinel Marlon as the girlfriend, Rodica Lazar as the boss, and Julieta Szönyi as the mother. The story flows well, the motivations of the characters become gradually clear and there are also humorous notes, including quotes from masters and colleagues, directors of suspense movies. 'La Gomera' is a film that can satisfy different categories of viewers. Unfortunately the distribution is kind of discrete, in the cinema hall where I saw the film yesterday we were just four spectators (two couples). I can only hope that the popularity of this movie will increase over time, as I believe it deserves.

There is not much choice nowadays, mostly movies are propaganda, so I enjoyed this piece of movie art. Quite unique style, slowly developing and realistically looking characters.

Very neat film with consistent tone, not too fast not too slow, it exploits its resources very well. There are not too many locations and all of them are very well chosen and filmed, mostly the remore island of La Gomera and Bucharest. Scenes never drag, there's very neat dialogue as well. It does a lot with just enough, the main character is a man of few words but everything is understood and I rooted for him. Very elegant film, if anything a bit too orderly, meeting all the requirements of the genre as a well-applied applicant. It joins the trend of narrative in closed chapters and it works great, again, very elegant and orderly. The lead female is an absolute beauty, as should be the case in any self-respecting neo-noir. And there's the whistling thing which is awesome, that alone gives something special to the story, a pretty cool touch, yearning like a fairy tale, or maybe more like an opera.

Good stuff, perfect gem of a movie, ideal for an evening when you don't know what movie you want to watch.

It's actually a co-production, but mostly Romanian. I could say is the first Romanian film made intelligently, for international distribution. Of course, it's not a masterpiece, by far, but, compared to the previous level of Romanian films, it's a great qualitative leap. Vlad Ivanov, the lead, is almost an expressionless actor. I can't say the same about Catrinel Marlon, she is very expressive, dressed and undressed. Talented and very beautiful, a face reminiscent of Penelope Cruz and Nastassja Kinski, Catrinel Marlon I hope she'll become a great actress. Very convincing Rodica Lazar in the role of the very annoying prosecutor. The rest of the cast is good, the movie is worth to be seen. Porumboiu surpasses himself from one film to another. I wish him to keep it that way, higher and higher.

This is a good Romanian police and double-agent thriller shot in Spain, with a non-linear cut segments of events, very curious whistling language element and a very impressive femme-fatale performance of Catrinel Marlon in the role of Gilda.

I was fascinated with the whistling communication from old times and the whole web of gangsters involved into it, maybe not very spectacular action but entertaining for sure.

First Hit: I was, and even a day later, confused by this story and film.

We're really introduced to Cristi (Vlad Ivanov) and Gilda (Catrinel Marlon) when Gilda walks up to Cristi and asks to speak with him in his apartment. Cristi whispers into her ear that he apartment is bugged, so she kisses him and tells him she'll play the part of a hooker, and they can whisper her request, which is to help her by getting a criminal, Zsolt, out of prison.

In an early scene, Cristi is on a ferry heading to an island where the ancient people use to communicate by whistling. Cristi is part of a plot working with other criminals to free Zsolt and to do this he has to learn the whistling language.

The language breaks vowels and consonants into seven whistling sounds. This lesson in this language was the most exciting part of the film. I was fascinated with Cristi learning how to whistle and wanted to practice, along with him, right in the theater.

As the film develops, some parts led me to believe that the story in the movie was pre-planned, and I missed something as the film progressed. At other times, I felt as though Cristi and Gilda were planning the ending along the way because they'd fallen for each other.

As an undercover detective, Cristi works for an unnamed woman place by Rodica Lazar, who is trying to play both ends of this story.

The result is a film that has the appearance of a storyline running at two different levels, but in the end, the person sitting next to me asked if he missed something about how the ending worked out, I said "I don't know," and I still don't.

Ivanov was quietly compelling as the detective who was also on the take. Marlon was excellent as the woman who seemed totally in control of story behind the plot. Lazar was strong as the head of the investigation and also susceptible to corruption. Corneliu Porumboiu wrote and directed this quizzical story that left me hanging.

Overall: I either missed a critical section of this Romanian film or the story was attempting to be too elusive.

La Gomera a.k.a. "The Whistlers" is a fun Romanian neo-noir borrowing suspense tropes from James Cain, Robert Siodmak and Jules Dassin. The premise is a cop (no unreliable voice overs here) who had to learn the idiom of the whistling language for communicating with people living in interstitial spaces inside and outside of the law. Offbeat, at times hilarious in a deadpan way and rife with truly beautiful mise en scène, the film is a deconstructed tribute to this specific and particular film genre but operates outside of it. All the characters are vividly drawn, the supporting ones carry out the one-dimensionality of their roles with a certain lived-in freshness. The use of music was also very tasteful and deliberately operatic as counterpoint to the life-and-death situations, quirkily told. Corneliu Porumboiu seems to be having fun directing this story -- it shows and I for one was swept by the story and storytelling.

I love the aesthetics of this film, a movie highly influenced by SUBURRA, made by Stefano Sollima in 2015, where the topic - mafia - was also used and especially where the graphic lines were very close too. Look out for the both films endings. It needs to be watched several times, though, to be totally involved in this unusual and very surprising story.

Very poorly written, huge plot holes. And dialogue was so mechanical Generic music, extremely bad acting of romanian main cast ( did he try a clint eastwood face?) lol Bad editing having loads of shots long for no reason, probably just to make it longer. It was obvious. The film was one hour too long. Tendency of dark comedy which didn't have its reason. Sex scene was overly acted an sooo bad and cringe. The only good thing about this film was the cinematography in bits where it actually captured the feeling of the space. (When it wasn't shaky or panning too fast) No sound design whatsoever which would've made this non film, better. There's many things to say, other than that. The worst film and ending I have seen in the last 5 years. Honestly. Don't make anymore films

This movie reminded us Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford and Classic Film Noirs. The subject of whistling was a bit ridiculous. Still, I watched it with pleasure.

It changes from the usual c.... 😀 nice story well directed!

This was quite an enjoyable movie overall, with ups and downs. It is structured on short stories each focusing on a major character, something in the style of Quentin Tarantino. But unlike Tarantino there is significantly less dialog. The acting is good, in general, although I found Cristi's character a bit too inexpressive. The movie suffers, however, of some Romanian cliches: the mandatory, explicit, sex scene and the constant smoking. But at least there was no cursing, which was something unexpected.

The lowest point of the movie, for me, was the Magda character, who's role I didn't quite understood. What is she doing? I think they could have explained that better. As for the end, it was kinda rushed and superficial.

But overall, it worth watching.

Straight off, this movie is totally different to what you may be used when thinking about Romanian movies. Starting with the story, the cast (Catrinel Marlon is magnificent), the scenery, smart humor and hidden little gems (references to various famous scenes in other movies), this film makes you think you're watching more of a Hollywood movie than a Romanian one, although, as a downside, I must say certain characters seem to be portrayed a bit simplistic. The story is, to some extent, a typical police one, but the twist of using the whistling language from Gomera Island enriches the plot all around as it unfolds. I really liked the movie and I would be happy if it sets the new trend in Romanian Cinema.

It's a trick to make a rather simple movie seem smart: changing the chronological order. It sets the viewer arrears, wondering what part of the story he's looking at. This movie suffered from that. In the end it does not make the movie better.

Whistling also has other resonances that Porumboiu allows us to ponder. Cristi - and maybe his commanders - have ambiguous identities and loyalties. They could be whistleblowers of a sort, revealing the secrets of their masters ( police officers mixed with criminals); and they are also snitches, singing like canaries. (The advantage of Gomera's whistling is that it sounds like birdsong to the uninitiated.) The cast is totaly unknown but the result is good. Porumboiu gives us a knotty, twisty, nifty plot which is quite involving but gets to hangs together well, and there is also an amusing juxtaposition of gloomy, rainy Bucharest and (on the contrary) the sunny terrain of La Gomera. We also get a neat and unexpected coda. An elegant and stylishly crafted piece of entertainme

For the English spoken parts (most of the movie) it lacked subtitles for most English viewers especially the elderly, disabled, hearing impaired, and ESL viewers. Disrespectful & cheap on the part of the producers especially when audio & enunciation is off. A lot of film time spent on whistling as a form of communication. Sort of dumb, and a whole lot cheaper & more efficient to just use burner phones. Anyway, whistling as an alternative to talking (or shouting in this case) can be found through out the world. In this film it's the Canary Islands use of Silbo Gomero which remarkably can transmit fairly precise whistled word. Acting was really robotic; the crime subterfuge plot was confusing & felt dated.

The Whistlers (2019)

An interesting movie directed by Corneliu Porumboiu, with an intriguing subject, a great cast, great music, great camera, great lights, great effects. A Romanian movie which could have a clean shot for an Oscar (movie in a Foreign language). Wonderfully played by Catrinel Marlon and Vlad Ivanov, "fresh blood" on the international stage! Deeply impressed, nine stars without a doubt, much appreciated by Rotten Tomatoes! CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I was expecting a rollicking crime saga in an Eastern European setting, but that's not what I got.

For one thing, it seemed a lot longer than 97 minutes, due to the fact that neither storyline nor actors ever rise above a quasi-catatonic state. It's not boring, exactly, and the plot does kind of shuffle along, but the direction and tone are kept deliberately at idle for the entire duration, never allowed to build any momentum. Even the shootout scene looks like no-one's particularly interested whether they get shot or not.

The story is really confusing and rather aimless. You find out soon enough that all the characters are corrupt and unreliable, starting with the hero, and soon everyone is triple-crossing everyone else in a tangle so thick that it's impossible to tell whether it all adds up to a consistent story. I cannot, hand on heart, tell you whether this film has a plot twist in it or not. I could not follow any of the lead characters' motivations, and thus I was surprised time and again by apparently arbitrary behaviour, but I really don't know whether the writers were deliberately trying to pull surprises, or whether the whole thing is just a bit of a gluey mess.

From an aesthetic perspective the film is also unexciting, with a beige colour palette and overused classical music hits on the soundtrack.

For no reason whatsoever, the film gets a coda in Singapore's Gardens by the Bay, to the backdrop of a generic sound-and-light show involving gigantic fake steel trees and more hackneyed snippets of classical music. This scene is rather unnecessary and its location appears completely arbitrary, and I can only surmise this is a piece of particularly inelegant product placement.

The Movie is so special and it kinda has its own thing I dunno. Slowly building and revealing the story piece after piece seamlessly. My only take about it is the sound editing and mixing.