In Romany language, gadjo dilo means ‘crazy foreigner’: the gadjo is Stephane, a Parisan who turns up adrift in Romania, on the trail of a legendary Gypsy singer. His cause is taken up by patriarch izidor, and Stephane soon immerses himself in the local life, which proves to be rich in music, drink, arguments and sex.
Director Tony Gatlif (The Princes, Latcho Drom) is French cinema’s bard of Romany life, and his latest film, which won over the festival crowd last year, is a moving, energetic piece, combining elements of ethnographic documentary with tough-edged realist drama and a touch of knockabout comedy. Up and coming French face Romain Duris makes a charismatic, easy going presence as the outsider, but he’s really our passport into a world which, as is Gatlif’s trademark, is presented to us very much from the inside.