Four Friends

To some extent drawing on the experiences of its scriptwriter Steve Tesich, this traces key moments in the life of Yugoslav immigrant Danny (Wasson), from his arrival in the States as a boy to the time when, thirty years later, his parents return to the old country. Although its episodic narrative entails a certain lack of unity, it's nevertheless an ambitious and impressive work that deals intelligently with a number of themes: the way time and distance play havoc with relationships, particularly with Danny's beloved Georgia, a lively, infuriating and generous girl whom he shyly rejects with saddening results; the way personal lives often rhyme with wider history; and most of all, the difficulties romantic Danny faces in trying to come to terms with the many contradictions and polarities - poverty and wealth, rural simplicity and urban sophistication - inherent in his adopted homeland. A dense but never pretentious film that manages to convey the atmosphere of the '50s and '60s succinctly, it offers delights galore, not least a light, perceptive wit and an unsentimental ability to touch the emotions.