Along the Danube in northern Bulgaria lies the sleepy and mosquito-ridden town of Belene, home to a colorful cast of characters including a band of boar hunters, a kooky pianist, the cheerleading squad from Marie Curie Nuclear Energy High School, and a mayor with a checkered resume. Belene’s residents have invested their hopes in the economic prosperity promised by the construction of a nuclear power plant, but after more than twenty years, it’s still in the making. The town’s murky and complex history is revealed over the course of the film, providing context for the town’s unusual brand of optimism. With a gentle appreciation for the absurd, filmmaker Andrey Paounov provides a quirky yet revealing portrait of life in post-Soviet Bulgaria.  SB