The Yellow Smiley Face

Mioara and Florin Popescu are a retired couple in Romania who have never used a computer. When their son Alex moves to America, they decide to learn email and instant messaging so they can keep in touch. The story watches them as they fumble through passwords, misread icons, and type messages that go askew, turning small technical mishaps into gentle jokes. They sometimes feel embarrassed by their mistakes and occasionally misinterpret what appears on the screen, but the tone remains affectionate toward their efforts. Small victories, like sending a readable message or seeing a distant photo, are quietly joyful, and the film focuses on how plain persistence and good humor can preserve family ties across an ocean. Small gestures matter.

Released in 2008, The Yellow Smiley Face was directed by Constantin Popescu Jr and created by Doru Lupeanu. The Romanian-language comedy stars Luminița Gheorghiu, Teodor Corban and George Constantinescu, and was filmed on location in Romania.

There are no records of major international awards for the film. It didn't win high-profile prizes, yet reviewers in Romania highlighted Luminița Gheorghiu's warm, grounded performance and praised the film's light tone and human scale, which earned it modest attention among local critics and audiences and in domestic press.

Among Romanian viewers the film struck a chord for its gentle depiction of older parents learning new tools to stay connected with an emigrant child, and it figures in conversations about migration, family rituals, and how simple comedy can reflect social change without spectacle.

Available records show generally favorable responses, including a small viewer rating of 8.0/10. Critics noted the film's warm humor, careful pacing, and clear empathy for its protagonists. Major themes include family bonds across distance, the awkward charm of learning technology, and modest resilience in everyday life, with quiet everyday detail.