Gori Vatra (Pjer Zalica, 2003)

Fuse is in many ways a model for 2007's Romanian Nesfrasit: it's a blackly satirical take on a Balkan backwater town's fixation with the arrival of important American visitors that leads to a concerted effort by the locals to make themselves presentable. Where it diverges is that this is Bosnia only two years into a fragile peace after the war, and the old tensions are still very much in evidence. The preparations for President Clinton's impending whistlestop visit produce a certain amount of farcical fun in the townsfolk's preparations, such as when the former communist charged with producing flags for the event turns out a Stars and Stripes with red stars, but the satire is somewhat sidelined by the continued threat of landmines and terrorist actions by those unable to leave the past be.

6/10