Take Me Somewhere Nice

Where does Alma keep her cellphone? In Take Me Somewhere Nice, we often see her making calls, but we never see her put it away. She has no pockets or bag (or at least not one she can open) and she doesn't carry it in her hand. Take Me Somewhere Nice is not a fast-paced film so there is plenty of time to think about relevant and irrelevant questions like this. It is not a plot driven film, but road trip movie and depiction of teenage life. So periods of boredom punctuated by brief periods of action and emotion is entirely appropriate.

Alma was born in Bosnia but raised by her mother in the Netherlands. Hearing that her dad is in hospital, Alma decides to take a solo trip to Bosnia to visit him. She arrives in Sarajevo to stay initially with her grumpy, dodgy, unhelpful and mostly absent cousin Emir. On the other hand, Emir's more talkative friend Denis perks up Alma's stay in Sarajevo and prods Emir into some belated assistance. Despite being unfamiliar with Bosnia, Alma has the confidence to strike out on her own across the country without the skills to avoid trouble and with her little blue dress serving to emphasizes that she is a damsel-in-distress (or soon to be in distress). She gets rescued by knights in shining armour of both genders and varying motives. Alma's luggage problems and the consequent need to wash, dry and wear the same clothes all the time become a running gag in the film. Similarly, Alma's technique for dealing with guys is simple, effective and repetitive. Bosnia is depicted as a place where somethings don't seem to have changed since communist times.

The camera in Take Me Somewhere Nice always seems to arrive shortly after the action starts and often cuts away before it finishes. This coupled with some of the odd plot twists and scenes lends the film an absurdist vibe. Nothing special to see here, but nothing bad either. There is plenty of dry humour and a few moments of tension.

Not only does Alma have a cellphone that is invisible when not in use, unlike real teenagers she only uses it for phone calls. Like kids from the 1970s, Alma, Emir and Denis are more fixated by Bosnian TV than by their cellphones.

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Ian's rating 2.5/5