The Treasure

Conceived as a documentary, The Treasure became a disarming deadpan parable unearthing layers of Romanian history via the exploits of cash-strapped neighbors. When Costi denies Adrian’s request for a loan, the latter proposes another plan: that Costi rent a metal detector and in return get half of the treasure that might be buried in Adrian’s garden. Costi agrees, but the duo must overcome a variety of bureaucratic obstacles, misunderstandings, and challenges along the way. “The final shot, accompanied by an improbable but perfect musical cue, is an astonishing cinematic gesture, an appalling, hilarious statement about modern values, the state of the world, human nature and everything else. This is a movie that lives up to its name” (A. O. Scott, New York Times).