★★★ California Dreamn

[Gino: 3.0, Twinkletoes: 3.0]

Gino says: 'This was a Romanian takes place during the war in Bosnia, and is about US soldiers who are waylayed by a train station master with a grudge on their way to deliver NATO equipment. Much of the plot revolves around how the people of the small village deal with the new visitors. Many have been waiting for 'the Americans' to arrive and rescue them since World War II. I won't lie, this was an over-long film with an uneven tone to it. Yet, periodically during the film, I was really admiring it. So, I kept wishing the same material and some of the same scenes had been transported into a different film, if you know what I mean. '

Twinkletoes says: 'I am largely in agreement with Gino on this one. This is the 2nd Romanian film I have seen (the other being The Death of Mr. Lazarescu) and there some striking similarities. Both move at a very deliberate pace, both deal with exasperating and life draining bureaucracies, and both take place in a chaotic and cluttered world. I wonder if there is something being said about current day Romania. And In what could be the most misleading comparison ever, this film sort of reminded me of Sixteen Candles. Much of the film is spent recording the exploits of a wide range of characters over one night. '