The film relates how these two teenagers, Lena and Leco, arrive from Toronto, Canada, in semi-rural Slovakia and it follows their interactions with the locals including Lena's relatives - and Leco's first ever experience of European culture. The couple is not 'an item' - Lena asked Leco to come at the last minute because her boyfriend had just ditched her and she had a spare ticket (they must have been lucky because I have never been able to switch the name on a bargain ticket!).
The depiction of life in Slovakia seems pretty authentic and moderately interesting. It's not very colourful but the local characters are natural and not exaggerated (as with your 'stage' Italian or Irishman with lots of Mamma Mias and Begorrahs!). The cinematography is sound if rather uninspired - but the Bratislava area is not all that scenic in any case and we witness a truthful depiction of a "Europeanized" modern former Communist country - drab still, but picking up. Nobody seems to comment on Lena's nose-ring which is believable.
My problem with this movie is with the characterizations - we discover hardly anything about Lena, she is totally dull and empty throughout and if this film is aiming to depict the lives of dull people, then it does a great job. The question then becomes was it worthwhile doing when you are probably going to bore the heck out of your audience? Leco is a bit more interesting and seems to be much better mannered than your average seventeen year old - his reaction to this new culture is of some interest and is believable.
My opinion is that the director chose to work with some pretty boring characters and in so doing was bound to produce a dull film - it would have taken a phenomenal talent to breathe much life into this story.
