1993 safe journey, Latcho Drom
1997, only loves the stranger Gadjo Dilo
2002 Swing Gypsy Swing
2004 Exiled Exils
2006 Love-
seeking journey Transylvania French youth Stéphane came to Romania’s Gypsy village, looking for his father’s beloved female voice Nora Luca. On the road again and again, singing, dancing, instrumental music, telling. Gorgeous and dazzling or desolate and melancholy, they only pieced together the bits and pieces that belonged to this wandering nation. Gypsies don't have the only Noraluka in their hearts, and every voice is a lifetime record.
The absurd narrative of [Gadjo Dilo] (only loves strangers) reminds me of Kusturica's [Song of the Wanderers] which also tells the Gypsy story. Stéphane and Isidor’s chicken and duck said that the extremely exaggerated attitudes of the villagers towards this alien have changed, making the film full of joyful tension. Gypsy women are of course not elegant, they open their mouths and sparkle with golden teeth, and so is the most beautiful Sabina. There is also the frequent appearance of slightly vulgar teasing, which has almost become the iconic line of the film, and its meaning can be used to express abuse and ridicule, passionate love, and even disdain and anger.
Compared with [Gadjo Dilo]'s fiery and "rough", [Swing] (swing gypsy) from the perspective of children is lighter and more delicate, and also much gentler. Learning the guitar, playing with gypsy children, and watching performances constitute the entire time of the French boy Max's vacation life. It's not like Stéphane's concentration when recording the gypsy old lady's mourning and Sabina's tears on one side, and the other bitterly telling Max in front of him, just a child's ignorance.
The perspective of the outsiders selected by the two films should be derived from director Tony Gatlif's half-Gypsy identity. I also watched his previous documentary about Gypsies [Latcho Drom] (Safe Trip). One of the scenes that impressed me the most was an old man playing music for the child in front of me with a broken violin.
I also remember that Isidor put the violin on his head, which surprised Stéphane. In the woods, he begged young Sabina with a begging tone. This scene was contemptuous. After hearing the news of his son's death, the old man wailed on his knees, but it was deeply embarrassing.
The young Stéphane and Sabina are attracted to each other and fall in love. Max had a wonderful childhood with Swing, a gypsy girl. However, the plot turning of the two films after the joyousness has put a heavy tragic tone. In [Gadjo Dilo], the revenge-seeking Romanians burned Adriani who had just been released from prison. The Gypsies fled and their homes were destroyed. In [Swing], the guitar teacher Miraldo died suddenly, and the two children held a farewell ceremony in the water.
Tony Gatlif's two later films, [Exils] (Exiled) and [Transylvania] (Journey of Love), no longer target the Gypsy race, but the theme is still about journey and search. A French couple in [Exils] embarked on a journey to find their roots in Algeria, but in the end they did not find their true identity. [Transylvania] is about a gypsy woman who came to a foreign land looking for a lover. The smile in the last shot is very similar to [Latcho Drom] that ends with Sabina's smile.
After Miraldo's death, the RV was destroyed by fire. The scrapbook Max left for Swing before leaving was coldly abandoned at the street corner after the girl wiped away her tears. For Gypsies, farewell to what has been lost may be the best choice. Because of this, Stéphane, who witnessed the death and separation, chose to destroy all records of the journey.
Nora Luca is just a distant dream.
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