Gogol Bordello: Non Stop

Director Margarita Jimeno's documentary follows self-described gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello to Europe and back as they grow from local quirk to global musical sensation. Charismatic front man Eugene Hütz explains that the New York outfit—which fuses traditional European music with punk rock—spans “all sexes, all ages, all nationalities,” and he aims to promote the same sense of equality when he performs. In between excerpts from rehearsals and raucous live appearances, Jimeno uses home movies and interviews to trace Hütz's childhood in the Ukraine, his move to the U.S., and the group's origins as a Saturday night staple at a Bulgarian bar in New York. In addition to Hütz, Jimemo interviews other band members, including guitarist Oren Kaplan, violinist Sergey Ryabtsev, dancer Pamela Racine, drummer Eliot Ferguson, and accordion player Yuri Lemeshev (dancer Elizabeth Sun completes the lineup). A few outside voices are also added to the mix, like DJ Scratch and MC Pedro Erazo, who raps on “Immigrant Punk.” The film also offers a glimpse of Hütz's involvement with the movie adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer's novel Everything Is Illuminated, in which he played tour guide Alex. Offering a fine introduction to the band, Gogol Bordello: Non Stop is better than The Pied Piper of Hützovina (VL Online-7/08), which focuses on Hütz, and nicely complements the CD/DVD combo Gogol Bordello: Live from Axis Mundi, which combines a concert with radio sessions and outtakes. DVD extras include deleted scenes, numerous additional performances, and interview footage. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)