Tony Gatlif Movies

Acclaimed director Tony Gatlif spins this wildly anarchic tale about three young punks, a bevy of cinematic inside jokes, and a talking stork. Otto and Louna (Romain Duris and Rona Hartner), along with their brainy pal Ali (Ouassini Embarek), rescue a wounded stork who turns out to be an illegal immigrant and a deserter from the Algerian army. The car-thieving, gun-toting crew helps the bird to freedom while rubber-stamping new films with such epithets as "tripe" and shooting someone for insulting the good name of Jean Vigo. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

The leader of a gang of adolescents tries, in this hectic tragi-comedy, to go "straight" and give up blackmail and extortion for a "regular" job and "regular" friends. He discovers that he has no taste for that kind of life and returns just in time to try to extricate his gang from a particularly awful situation. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This documentary follows several wandering bands of Gypsy musicians and dancers as they travel throughout Europe and parts of Asia. Unlike most documentaries, this one has no narration, preferring to let the images and the music speak for themselves. Starting in India, the film follows these bands through Egypt, Turkey, Romania, Germany and France and ends up in Spain. As they travel deeper in Europe -- especially into Romania and Germany, traditionally countries that are most hostile to Gypsies -- their music turns from light, romantic tunes into dark, bitter political dirges. ~ Brian Gusse, Rovi

A Gypsy family and a young orphan drift through the French countryside during World War II and seek work in the vineyards of a small town with laws strictly forbidding their nomadic lifestyle. Subsequently placed in an internment camp, the wayward travelers are quickly rescued by the town's sympathetic mayor, who bestows upon them a plot of land where they can live without fear of harassment. Later, as the Gypsies grow increasingly uncomfortable with the prospect of living in one place, the Gestapo arrests the mayor and a local teacher for resistance. Fearing that they, too, are about to lose their freedom should they decide to remain in town, the Gypsies quickly decide that their best option is to try their luck on the road, and they quietly take flight. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The protagonists in this drama are caught in the sleaze of the lower echelons of Paris life and are trying to get out. Clara (Ann-Gisel Glass) arrives in the underbelly of the city after escaping a dysfunctional middle-class family, and moves in with Mimi (Christine Boisson), a prostitute. Clara also meets Paul (Francois Cluzet) an escaped convict, and a romantic relationship starts to simmer. Only two major hurdles stand in their way of escaping to a better life in another city. Paul is determined to avenge the death of his father which might make it easier for the police to find him, and Mimi's pimp is equally determined to coerce Clara into a life of prostitution. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In this comedy-drama, Stephane (Romain Duris), a young man from France, travels to Romania on a mission; his father has recently passed away, and since the old man's favorite singer was an unrecorded gypsy vocalist from Romania, he has come to track her down and put her music on tape. However, he's not sure where she is, and as he wanders though a village in battered shoes on a cold night, an older gentleman of gypsy blood, Izidor (Isidor Serban) allows him to spend the night in his home after regaling him with drunken rants about his dire fate. While gypsies take a dim view of strangers, Stephane goes out of his way to ingratiate himself into their community, and as the locals develop a grudging trust for him, Stephane meets Sabina (Rona Hartner), a beautiful gypsy dancer whose allure is matched by her fiery personality and blunt vocabulary. Izador is Sabina's accompanying musician, and as Stephane is drawn into Sabina's web by the passion of both her dancing and her lovemaking, he also becomes friends with the older man and struggles to better understand his way of life. Director Tony Gatlif, himself of gypsy heritage, previously directed a documentary about gypsy musicians, Latcho Drom. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The rich and passionate sounds of Spanish flamenco music provide the backdrop for this emotional drama of two families at war. Caco (Antonio Canales) is a man whose family has long been at odds with the Caravacas, a prominent family living in the same village. Mario, Caco's brother, murdered one of the Caravacas, and now the family is out for blood, with Mario's son Diego (Orestes Villasan Rodriguez) the expected target. Caco has lost a daughter of his own, whom Diego loved, and Caco is determined to spare his nephew the same fate. But guarding the young man is no easy task in the hilly country of southern Spain. Vengo also features performances by a number of noted flamenco performers, including La Paquera de Jerez. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi