Despite its status as an easy punchline for Wag The Dog, Albania is a real place with real troubles, many of which exemplify the prevailing political problems of the post-Cold War era. Set in 1991, following the fall of Communism, Gianni Amelio's (Stolen Children, Open Doors) Lamerica takes a look at Albania from an outsider's perspective: The film follows an ambitious Italian shoe executive (Enrico Lo Verso) who seeks to take advantage of the Albanian economic crisis by promoting an anti-Communist political prisoner (Carmelo Di Mazzarelli) to the position of chairman. Mazzarelli, an addled Italian army veteran who was never told that World War II ended—he fully expects to return home to his wife and young child in Sicily—spoils the plan by running off, leading Verso on a journey that forces him to question the capitalist system he believes will make him his fortune. As much a personal drama as a political one, Lamerica is made even more effective by its stunning use of Cinemascope, preserved to a certain extent through letterboxing. Even on the small screen, it's an extremely effective piece of filmmaking: Bizarre touches, such as a little girl expertly mimicking the dance moves she's learned from Italian television, help drive home the film's points, as do a pair of deft performances by Lamerica's two leads.