Even if some segments are invigoratingly thought-provoking in the same manner that a young student feels engaging with classical thinkers for the first time, the format's lack of stimuli beyond cutting between speakers soon turns tedious

Was it possible, [ filmmaker Cristi] Puiu purportedly asked, to make something dramatically compelling out of a collection of dense, highbrow conversations? Malmkrog suggests the answer may be a resounding "Nyet."

Imagine a Chekhov play without drama, an Oscar Wilde farce without humor, a Visconti film without desire, or a very long party at the home of a distant acquaintance, and you will have some idea of "Malmkrog," Cristi Puiu's latest film.

It is, no doubt, a cinematic accomplishment to be admired, but one that carries with it an enormous caveat: this is by no means an easy watching experience.