Seattle International Film Festival 2025: Film #12
An Armando Iannucci-esque farce about the final days of the Ceaușescu dictatorship, especially Iannucci-like in that it's more than well-observed enough to counter the slight sense of teleological smugness. I also liked that it didn't settle on its final genre until well into the second act and that it didn't overly condescend to the viewer. But that did mean, alas, that I think much of the historical references ("Uncle Nick", etc.) were lost on this overwhelmingly US audience.
Synopsis: The New Year That Never Came is a tragicomedy whose action takes place in a single day, before the counter-revolution of 1989, in which the characters search for normality, safety, love, freedom and meaning in an absurd world.