Beast International Film Festival 06 — 08 JUN 2025

SYNOPSIS

SINOPSE

A young cinephile, an enthusiast of classic Hollywood films, finally gets a chance to break out of his dull routine as a gas station attendant in the fields, when a Jeep pulls up, out of which steps a sexually uninhibited woman, wearing a seductive outfit and a cowboy hat. The latter hires him as an assistant for her magic tricks and con games. The two end up putting on a performance for a minister who enjoys a hunting holiday at a manor, surrounded by other male politicians. The way the newly emerging political class is portrayed, with its pleasures and delights – hunting and striptease – flaunted as prerogatives of the powerful, recalls the features of the era, especially Mircea Daneliuc’s “The Snails’ Senator”, released the year before. In a similar vein, in Teodor Oprea’s film the destiny of the young generation is affected by the abuses of this class - here, however, the emphasis lies not on social critique, but on the mystery of the story. Supported by the Bucharest Film Studio, “My American Dream” had access to equipment and techniques which enabled the authors to build a fanciful mise-en-scène. The levitation scenes from the magic shows are particularly spectacular, as they are depicted through complex crane movements and visual effects. (Gabriela Filippi)