AllMovie

Acclaimed Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu produced and coordinated this collection of short comic tales, all inspired by local legends regarding the quirky side of life under Communism. In "The Legend of the Official Visit," Inspector Sandu (Emanuel Pirvu) arrives in a small village to be sure all is in readiness for the arrival of a major party figure, even though no one's sure if he intends to actually stop and spend some time there. "The Legend of the Greedy Policeman" concerns Alexa (Ion Sapdaru) and his wife (Virginia Mirea), who have obtained a black-market pig and aren't sure how to slaughter and dress it without calling attention to themselves. In "The Legend of the Party Photographer," a photographer (Avram Birau) must put his retouching skills to work when a picture of Nicolae Ceausescu is wildly unflattering to the leader. "The Legend of the Air Sellers" follows Crina (Diana Cavallioti), a financially embarrassed student, who finds a may to make some fast money with the help of con man Bughi (Radu Iacoban) and some empty bottles. "The Legend of the Chicken Driver" tells the story of a by-the-book truck driver (Vlad Ivanov) who isn't certain what rules apply when the owner of a restaurant (Tania Popa) wants to buy some eggs laid by a chicken in his van. And another party member (Calin Chirila) who insists on following the rules even when he isn't sure what they are is the focus of "The Legend of the Zealous Activist." Early screenings of Tales from the Golden Age featured five of these six chapters, with the order and selection changing from night to night, supposedly in homage to the confusion of life under Ceausescu.