Swing Reviews

To be honest, I had seriously no idea what to expect from this flick but since Tony Gatlif’s work is usually really interesting, I thought I should give it a try. As a matter of fact, Tony Gatlif is rather unknown here in Listal but his movies are actually pretty good. Usually, they deal with gypsies and other outcasts and there is definitely something mesmerizing about those movies. This time, he actually made a family feature still dealing with gypsies but with some kids as main characters. So, it was rather lighter than his usual work but I can’t say I was really impressed by the plot himself. Indeed, in my opinion, the whole thing was just too pedestrian and, honestly, not really interesting. On the other hand, the music which has always been central in most of the movies directed by Gatlif, was once again really awesome and could almost be described as a character on its own. The kids also gave some decent performances and the whole thing was a pretty nice watch. To conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was a refreshing family feature and I think it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Een muziekfilm met een goede kijk op het zigeunerleven (en geschiedenis). Het hoofdverhaal is een tienerliefde tussen een jongen die les volgt bij een zigeunergitarist en een jongsachtig zigeunermeisje. Prachtige mengeling van zigeuner-, arabische (saz) en joodse muziek en schitterend in beeld gebracht.