The ‘endless’ of the title refers to the film’s officially unfinished status following the sudden death of director Cristian Nemescu and sound editor Andrei Toncu. Tragedy struck on August 26th 2006 when the taxi driving Nemescu and sound editor Andrei Tuncu from the editing lab was hit by another car, a collision that claimed the lives of all three people. The release of California Dreamin’ (Endless) is the version untouched after Nemescu’s departure, the ‘endless’ referring to the fact that no-one knew what his final cut would be.
Just twenty-seven years old when he died, Nemescu’s California Dreamin’ collected the ‘Un Certain Regard’ award at Cannes for young talent and innovative work, as well as the Satyajit Ray Award for a director’s first feature screening at the London Film Festival, “which best captures the artistry and humanity expressed in Ray’s own vision.”
Not that California Dreamin’ feels incomplete. A NATO train packed with American marines stops at the remote Romanian village of Capalnita where it’s held by an over officious stationmaster with his own agenda and a troubled past. As the delay drags, the marines are kept entertained by a fake village centenary, a horde of randy female students, a Romanian Elvis impersonator and a workers’ strike.
The film’s quirky humour and farcical events feel close in atmosphere to Goodbye Lenin, but the omnipresence of social and political issues make California Dreamin’ a serious work infused with comedy rather than vice versa. With dramatic scenes occasional but overwhelmingly powerful, California Dreamin’ is a rare example of genres colliding to make a highly original satire of epic proportions.
