Review of California Dreamin' (2007) by Rob L — 02 Apr 2012

An excellent metaphor for US foreign policy in that it portrays an actual incident that happened at the time of the Kosovo bombings â" a shipment of radar equipment is held up in small town Romania by a corrupt station officer â" a man who is certainly no respecter of superpower reputations.

Romania still comes across as a backwater although itâ(TM)s Summer and so there is less out and out grimness than in other recent films such as The Death of Mr. Lazarescu. Itâ(TM)s a comedy, albeit tinged with tragedy and unhappiness and thus fulfils many of the criteria of a great film â" the languid pace suits it and the untimely death of the director in a road accident has robbed us of a major talent.