There is a meditative beauty in the extended shots in “Tuesday, After Christmas,” a lovely Romanian film about the dissolution of a marriage. One savors certain moments that crystallize emotional complexity, as when Adriana (Mirela Oprisor) reaches behind without looking to hand a Christmas present to her husband Paul (Mimi Branescu), the two still connected, if only by love for their daughter, following his betrayal.
These are fine wine, the shots that linger on the faces of Paul, Adriana, the mistress Raluca (Maria Popistasu), as compared with the fast food of American film, which is always racing forward without reflection, always about the movement, not the moment. What a lovely, restful surprise it is to be with these characters, their troubles notwithstanding.
Watched on Criterion Channel.