California Dreamin' (2007)

Em Português

Cristian Nemescu has produced a work of art that changes perspectives, that gives the spectator food for thought, and has the arguments to change opinions. His unfinished masterpiece California Dreamin' was his last film before a fatal car crash in 2006. It won the Prix un certain regard at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.
California Dreamin' takes place in Romania, and is based on a true story. In 1999, during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, a train containing American radar equipment required in Kosovo goes through Romania and is held up for several days in a small village on the Bărăgan Plain (in the movie, the village of Căpâlniţa) because some customs papers are missing.

Since the train is occupied by American soldiers, the village folk make an effort to welcome the visitors, while the station manager, who has a grudge against America, holds up the train. The reason being that Russian soldiers took his parents away (for being German supporters) at the end of World War 2 and he had hoped the Americans would arrive, which never happened. So, by holding the train on some bureaucratic pretext the station manager is in fact attenuating the pain for the loss of his parents.

The contrast between rural life in Romania and the American culture represented untactfully by the soldiers is stark. The American soldiers are quite happy to mingle with the Romanian girls, while their exasperated commander fumes and seethes while trying to get the train on its way.

As the Americans are integrated into the village life, the mayor of the village befriends the commander and together they instigate a revolt against the station manager, with the promise of american support if it came to fighting. The americans leave on the morning of the revolt and no help comes, leading to chaos and actual deaths. All the girls who wanted to leave with the americans are predictably left behind.

What is obvious from the start is the willingness of the villagers to please, the underlying critique of American views on politics and international affairs and the shrugging of responsibility within the Romanian bureaucracy. I guess the final irony is the revelation that the radar was installed two hours after the ceasefire with Yugoslavia was signed. Interesting and provocative. 8/10