!VAR HAGENDOORN

Latcho Drom

Latcho Drom by director Tony Gatlif has recently been re-released, at least, in The Netherlands. It's 100 minutes of dance, music and joy. It's a documentary about the Roma (Romani or "gypsies") set in India, Egypt, Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, France, and Spain. The film is essentially plotless and there is not much dialogue. It's a visual journey, a portrait of Roma communities in different countries. It helps if you know a little bit about the Roma, since the film does not offer much in terms of explanation.

Latcho Drom highlights the importance of music and dance (and colour) in Roma culture. Below is one of my favourite scenes. It reveals what I often find missing in much contemporary dance: joy. The joy of dancing, can be a metaphor of the joy of life, even in the face of adverse events, such as the rejection the Roma have faced throughout history and continue to face to this day in some parts of the world. Dance and music are also a link to the past and a binding force within a community. The songs are full of melancholy, but also hope and joy. Luck has abandoned us, but it will return.

As far as I know Latcho Drom has not been released on DVD yet, but I'll keep an eye out for it.