And you thought road movies about bizarre love triangles set in motion by small-time heists gone awry were peculiar to American independent films. Change the names to Johnny and Ignaz, and shift the setting from the highways of the USA to the ruined roads of the former Soviet empire, and you get this wonderful moody and well executed picture about lost souls in a strange world.

I had high expectations about this film, hearing incessant chatter about how good it was from my Austrian colleagues. I've seen more Austrian/German films than most North Americans, and I keep an open mind knowing some real gems come along once in a while. The rating on this site also gave me that impression, but frankly, it didn't meet my expectations. This film is the perfect vehicle for the talents of Victoria Malektorovycha who steals the show. Sure, it'll sell tickets because of Hader and Buck, but neither shine here. Hader sleep-walks through the movie--he's far too low key, often saying nothing or so little the audience is forced to guess what he's really thinking or feeling (his lack of reaction at times makes you squirm). Buck is 'three's a crowd' and really just adds some comic relief to Hader's panface. The locations are interesting, and the types of situations one might encounter in the Ukraine (being held up in an alley), driving around in an old taxi, add to its sense of realism; the trip from Austria through Slovakia and into the Ukraine is entertaining. The music is nicely choreographed and adds to the road trip feel.Where it fails is in the relationship between Malektorovych and Hader. We are supposed to believe she sees something in him. She dumped him for a reason in the hotel. Why should it be any different later? She clearly has some interesting connections; probably to the underworld and possibly as a stripper. I saw nothing in him that would attract (in her own words): such a beautiful young women. He offers her nothing more than his time. The result is that the romance between them never properly develops. Some contributors to this forum obviously disagree, but I was left unconvinced of their passion for each other, especially when you consider the dramatic show of love at the end. If he loves her so much (that he buys her a boat ticket), why didn't he make his way to the dock before the boat sailed? Is he so dense that he believes the receptionist where the ticket was supposed to be picked up and just hangs around until the last moment?If you saw the movie, ask yourself, was their love deep enough to drive them to the extreme we see at the end of the film...with the fade to black? Had the director showed us something more than casual interaction between them, I might have believed. Still, putting the lack of character building to the side, the film captures the essence of what one contributor calls European cinema and brings out a few laughs. 6/10

Blue Moon is very special, extraordinary film with lovely music and beautiful and funny scenes and many different languages as it is comman in Europe.I loved and enjoyed it! A film, you have to see, and tell your friends.

The auspicious directorial debut from Viennese columnist Andrea Maria Dusl, this road movie which takes Eastern Europe as its subject, should have no problem finding receptive audiences in German-speaking countries. In particular, the presence of Josef Hader, one of Vienna's top cabaret acts, and Detlev Buck, a leading German actor-director, will certainly strike a chord. But with careful handling, Dusl's portrait of the former socialist empire, as seen through concerned but often amused contemporary Western eyes, should be able to reach beyond these cultural barriers to the overseas arthouse circuit. Certainly the performance of Viktoria Malektorovych deserves a wider international audience.Opening with an innocent-looking shot of the Odessa Steps, one of cinema's most celebrated locations thanks to Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin, the film traces the love story between a Ukrainian girl (Viktoria Malektorovych) full of surprises and an Austrian man (Josef Hader) she meets by accident. Started haltingly and on a whim, it blossoms as the couple move further and further into the east, from Austria to Slovakia and then all the way through the Ukraine, via Lviv, Kiev, down to the Black Sea and Odessa. A third character, a fast-talking German conman (Detlev Buck) down on his luck, joins in for stretches of the road to flesh out the film's comments about the transitions taking place in this part of the world.Originally conceived as a series of shorts about Eastern Europe since the fall of the Iron Curtain, Dusl felt her purpose would be much better served by combining them into one feature film. The plot that ties them together is pleasant, although at times come across as a bit loose, occasionally resorting to arbitrary subterfuges to keep the story afloat. But then what counts here is the writer/director's reflections on what she feels is still terra incognita for many of her fellow Westerners. Somewhere, between the strict political system of the past and the sudden freedom, chaos and corruption of the present, East Europeans are trying to find their own way of coping with the new economy, the new morality and the old habits, from which they have not entirely divested themselves.Collecting incidents that she obviously feels reflect on the bigger picture, Dusl's notes are always sympathetic, and often astute and entertaining. Metaphors, such as the unfenced sheep which refuse to run away unless someone persuades them to or a money-obsessed girl who keeps communist artefacts in her home, are often used to re-enforce the message. Additional commentary is provided by nuggets of grandma's wisdom introduced in the narration and by the constantly running video camera, used to expand or underline certain points.The star of the show is undoubtedly Viktoria Malektorovych, a young Ukrainian actress whose expressive face and body language do wonders for the lead role and hold the film together. Hader's laid-back, effectively understated performance and Buck's typically extrovert rascal offer all the support that she needs.Screen International's Dan Fainaru in Locarno 05 August 2002