Sand Cliffs

Sand Cliffs (Romanian: Faleze de Nisip) is a Romanian motion picture drama released in 1983 and banned four days after its première by the regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu. The film, adapted from the novel Zile de Nisip ("Days of sand") by Bujor Nedelcovici, was directed by Dan Pița, with dialogue and script by Bujor Nedelcovici and Dan Pița, cinematography by Vlad Păunescu, and a sound track composed by Adrian Enescu. Cast included Victor Rebengiuc, Marin Moraru, Gheorghe Visu, and Carmen Galin. Faleze de Nisip was screened in 1991 at the Berlin International Film Festival, in 1994 at Los Angeles, and was one of the three Romanian films to be shown in 2007 at the European Film Festival in Lima, Peru.

Plot

The action takes place during the summer holiday at the Black Sea. The plot confronts an influential surgeon and a carpenter accused to have stolen the doctor's personal belongings from the beach. The neurotic doctor involves himself in the inquiry, ultimately directing the interrogation. The burglary victim, Theodor Hristea, a surgeon at the peak of his career and social life, self-confident and well connected (played by Victor Rebengiuc, a major Romanian actor), his girlfriend, Cristina (played by Carmen Galin) and their common friend, Ștefan (played by Marin Moraru) – find themselves on holiday near the summer resort of Mamaia. The doctor has a detective passion and accuses – just on account of a physical resemblance with the real thief – a young carpenter ("The Kid", played by Gheorghe Visu) who happens to come at the same beach the day following the burglary. The police are summoned, a long inquiry follows, declarations are taken, and The Kid is sent to trial.