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California Dreamin' (2007)

California Dreamin' (2007)

7.3

Culture clashes in this goofy political satire and devastating small town drama

Movie

Romania
English, Italian, Romanian
Comedy, Drama
2007

TLDR

Rest in peace, Cristian Nemescu.

What it's about

Oltenia, Romania, 1999. A shipment of weapons for NATO forces for the Kosovo War stops in the village railway station, though the train station chief Doiaru refuses to let them pass with incomplete papers.

The take

Generally, most people would like foreigners to like their country, but most people can’t control what their fellow countrymen have done abroad, good or otherwise. And while now these opinions are relegated to most only on online spaces, there are some incidents when this actually affects real world crises. California Dreamin' is based on the real life delay of NATO forces during the Kosovo War, but it’s less concerned with the actual war, and more concerned about the village itself, and their perspective on the NATO troops intruding in their way of life. Co-writer and director Cristian Nemescu depicts this event with a slice-of-life approach, with the culture clash between American soldiers and Romanian village folk forming most of the comedy, but it never forgets the way American aid was once requested but denied in black-and-white memories of World War II. While the length and editing wasn’t completed due to the death of Nemescu, Nesfârșit still keeps its edge, slicing through satire the difficult dynamic between the two countries.

What stands out

The Elvis impersonator in the party – it’s one of the few instances where both the Amercan troops and Romanian people are relatively happy, much to the consternation of the train station chief.

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