Poppy Field

DVD Features

Making Waves: New Romanian Cinema Festival Interview with director Eugen Jebeleanu


Bonus Short Film

A Normal Guy
Directed by George Dogaru
Romania
Romanian with English subtitles
14 minutes

Danny goes to the club every weekend looking for Mr. Right but always finds himself stuck with his straight older cousin and his girlfriend instead.

Sound: 5.1 Surround & 2.0 Stereo

Discs: 1

• Highest Rating
  "This adept first feature quickly gathers momentum, delivering a knotty portrait of a man who, like the culture in which he lives, is still wrestling with the very idea of homosexuality."
  Wendy Ide, Screen Daily
• Highest Rating
  "Poppy Field is spot on, and it reveals aspects of the wider damage done by prejudice that are rarely seen onscreen."
  Jennie Kermode, Eye for Film
• Highest Rating
  "Poppy Field is a very Romanian and powerful portrait of a gay man tormented and embarrassed by his own sexuality. With its minimalist approach and painstaking attention to detail, director Eugen Jebeleanu manages to create a claustrophobic and chaotic atmosphere... and makes Poppy Field a worthy entry into the Romanian New Wave. "
  Art House Street
• Highest Rating
  "This is an exciting, morally grey film tackling a complex topic within a country that is still in the process of fully recognising LGBT rights. Stressing realism over didacticism while realising the full humanity of nearly all its players, it’s more proof of the rich and exciting potential of contemporary Romanian film to make fascinating art out of simple premises."
  Redmond Bacon, Dirty Movies
• Highest Rating
  "Anyone who believes "don’t ask, don’t tell" isn't a harmful way to live would do well to watch Jebeleanu's film and see how such a mentality really affects those forced to live under such stifling conditions."
  Eric Hillis, The Movie Waffler
• Highest Rating
  "Gay-themed Romanian drama Poppy Field, directed by Eugen Jebeleanu and Ioana Moraru, draws inspiration from the numerous real life protests that have faced queer cinema screenings in Eastern Europe. Injecting a conflicted human narrative into the heart of this ensures that Poppy Field is a compelling watch in its examination of the homophobia that plagues many former Soviet republics. There is a compelling character drama at the heart of Poppy Field showcased through a sublime leading turn from Conrad Mericoffer, a sensitive screenplay from Iona Moraru and Eugen Jebeleanu’s beautifully natural direction."
  Culture Fix
• Highest Rating
  "Must-see. This is a crisp, unblinking look at the very real dangers of both self-loathing and societal prejudice, depicted in a way that's never remotely preachy."
  Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
• Highest Rating
  "A revealing and riveting look at how countries are dealing with the LGBTQIA+ in the worst possible ways."
  Bobby LePire, Film Threat
• Highest Rating
  "Like other films in the country’s cinematic new wave, it builds layers of subtext until their implications are staggering."
  Alan Zilberman, Spectrum Culture