The film starts pretty slow and straight-forwardly. Good, but almost ordinary storytelling. The setting is the 1920’s in Bucharest and we get to have a feeling of that time and place. We learn of the obvious traits of all the characters. Emilia is promiscuous. Ladima is too nice and platonic (man of integrity). Fred was/is madly in love with a woman (Madame T), but nothing is c…