TranSylvania

This rather good slice of Euro film is sharp, with little excess fat, and some good meat in the bone to keep one more than occupied.
This is notably a film by a Romanian filmmaker, rather than by a foreign one about Romania; much of the time we view the action from the perspective of the locals themselves, with the ‘main characters’ an intrusion. These characters though are eventually the ones we identify with, the female lead is a curious mixture (who rather goes missing near the end) while in a smart move we only come to understand the male lead at the same pace she does.
The celebrations of the backdrop are curious and even handed, letting us see the slightly nihilistic joy as well as some less palatable aspects. The backdrop is a mysterious one, a place often ignored as having no distinctive features, but shown here to have its own grey beauty.
A good film, a good introduction to the culture that at the same time gives us an interesting enough narrative.