Bucharest Nonstop

Four stories of ordinary yet colorful people caught in extraordinary situations are cleverly interwoven in this funny, bittersweet portrayal of urban life set during a single night in Romania’s chaotic capital city. No matter how different they seem, the taxi driver and the hooker, the grumpy elderly couple, the quarreling young lovers, and the loquacious pair of petty criminals all have one thing in common: the eponymous 24-hour store and its sarcastic yet good-hearted owner who connects the dots by being the sole witness of their trials and tribulations. This is the fifth and most accomplished feature film to date by maverick Dan Chisu, who gets the best from his eclectic ensemble cast. This year’s Making Waves lineup also includes Chisu’s own acting debut, in Mircea Daneliuc’s The Snails’ Senator.