Hello! How Are You?

Colour, 35 mm
Romania, 2010, 105 min
Section: Variety’s Ten Euro Directors to Watch

Synopsis

The antithesis of the grim naturalism of the best-known new Romanian cinema, helmer Alexandru Maftei’s bittersweet romantic comedy Hello! How Are You? feels like a breath of fresh air, proving that even more commercial films can deliver emotional epiphanies. This witty, stylishly crafted tale centers on a husband and wife whose 20-year marriage has long since lost its zing, making them vulnerable to the enticements of an Internet chatroom. Musician Gabriel and dimpled dry-cleaning proprietress Gabriela live like two strangers who no longer see each other. But in humorous contrast to their staid, passionless lives, they are surrounded by characters in a constant state of sexual arousal. Maftei’s striking, always-inventive compositions find visual equivalents for the fog of love and frustration his characters feel.

About the director

Alexandru Maftei (b. 1970, Bucharest, Romania) is a director, screenwriter and enthusiastic photographer. He graduated from the Bucharest Academy of Film and Theatre in 1994. His diploma work, Night within a Day, screened at numerous film festivals as well as on the Arte TV channel. He followed that with the TV feature Keep Your Eyes on Happiness (1998), a Romanian-German co-production. He has also worked as a screenwriter and creative director at some of Romania’s biggest advertising agencies, reaping many international awards. In the last few years he directed TV commercials while developing his first theatrical feature, the delightful romantic comedy Hello! How Are You? (2010), which stars his actress wife Dana Voicu. Next up: a musical.