'Cuibul de viespi' - the Romanian for 'Nest of Wasps' - should be considered in the background of the time when it was made. 1986 - the production year - was part of one of the darkest times in the history of Romania, and the darkness of the final years of the Ceausescu era had spread over artistic creation. Film making was a well controlled enterprise at the time, very much under the control of the propaganda machine of the Communist party. One of the passive forms of protest was making such movies as 'Cuibul...' - re-creating the era between the two world wars, the only time before 1990 that Romania enjoyed a relative period of democracy. The absence of any political message is the message.
Unfortunately, 'Cuibul...' is not a good movie. Adapted from a neo-classical play, it fails to re-create the emotional power of the tragic love story, and lacks completely any story-telling skills. What remains is the talent of some of the greatest Romanian comedy actors, but I doubt that their humor crosses too much the borders for the non-Romanian viewer. The final scene of the party in the graveyard, near the family dead is really good, but unfortunately it is just one sign of the great film 'Cuibul' could have been.
6/10 on my personal scale. Recommended only for the Romanian viewers, for the pleasure of seeing some of the great actors they (we) love.
