Beyond the Hills is not about the dangers of cloistered, frustrated young women, but rather a story of a broken society, one so fractured that it is literally being rebuilt throughout the film.

[xrr rating=3.75/5]Alina (Cristina Flutur) has rushed by train to visit her friend Voichita (Cosmina Stratan), now a devout nun at a small monastery. The two grew up in an orphanage together, where Alina had been Voichita’s protector and best friend, and the pair had once been lovers. Alina holds Voichita tightly when they meet, though Voichita demurs, trying to pull …

Five years is an eternity in the life of a film. When coming up with this feature, the question the Spectrum Culture staff pondered was this: “How well do these movies play NOW!” Not five years ago, but how have they aged in our memories. While some acclaimed films of ’07 remain strong on our list, some critically-lauded ones didn’t …