First of All, Felicia (Melissa de Raaf, R_zvan R_dulescu, 2009): Romania

Reviewed by Conner Emery. Viewed at AFI Fest 2009.

Before attending AFI Fest 2009 at Grauman’s Chinese Theater, I went online to look at the synopsis for all the different films that would be screening. The first movie that caught my eye was was the film First of All, Felicia. It promised to look at a day in the life of Felicia Mateescu (Ozana Oancea) as she traveled to the airport to return home. Once in Mann’s theater 1, the theater in which most of the lesser known films end up, I was introduced to the Directors. And though they could have tried to excite the audience like most of the other presentations I attended, instead they chose to move directly into the film.

The film opens on a shot of Felicia’s father (Ileana Cernat) looking into her bedroom, holding open the door. It cuts from that scene to the opening credits, which, apart from the end credits, is the only scene to have music. The music ends in an abrupt manner eliciting one of the few laughs from almost everyone in the audience. After a quick introduction of the characters, we learn that Felicia has to be somewhere and that her sister Lulia (Adina Andrei) will no longer be the one taking her. After a long conversation, Felicia and her mother (Vasile Mentzel) get into a taxi, and with that the story begins.

The story is that of a trip to the airport: Felicia has to be there by 11:40, but because of the traffic, she gets there about a minute late. With her son Marc needing someone to pick him up from camp, as his father (Felicia’s ex-husband) is going on a vacation and the only family friend having work, Felicia must find a ticket back home that night. The rest of the movie is fueled by this goal, and although not much happens, a lot of dialog is exchanged. Every word spoken has significance and pushes Felicia one step closer to falling off the edge. Her mother won’t stop following her around even though she clearly has caused most of the problems; she insists that Felicia is better off with her. With most flights booked up, Felicia must rely upon her ex to pick up Marc and leave a day later for his trip. One of the things that’s strongest about this movie is that although Felicia is clearly talking on her cell, you never hear him. Typical Hollywood conventions would have both voices heard, but the mystery of who he is adds to the drama.

The true beauty of this film, however, comes from what doesn’t happen. To go into detail would spoil the experience of First of All, Felicia, so all I will say is this: The way characters interact because of what they think is happening really ties this movie into a cohesive piece of work. Without such implications of impending peril, the movie would just be an almost random mash-up of moments from Felicia’s day. Thankfully, we are given a movie that, although may not be exciting or particularly entertaining, is a unique look at the interpersonal relationships between a mother and daughter slowly growing apart. The last 15 minutes really make it worth anytime you have invested in the movie, and there’s no way I cannot recommend it.