Gypsies

Loosely following the daily affairs of several gypsy families recently settled in a small Russian village (as a result of new legislation requiring gypsies to have a personal residence), this informal documentary offers a snapshot of a people undergoing a radical cultural shift away from a centuries old nomadic lifestyle. Exploring a wide variety of meaty themes, including generational conflict, the struggle to maintain cultural traditions, and the trappings of domestic life, Gypsies' subject matter is somewhat undercut by the presentation. Aside from a grainy, low-quality film stock that lends some authenticity to the vérité production but doesn't do much for the drab winter landscape and poorly lit interiors, the main problem here is translation. Instead of subtitles, which would have provided welcome guidance for the English-speaking viewer, the film is dubbed in English and the substitute voices, as is often the case with dubbed films, are clipped, hesitant or rushed to keep pace with the natural dialogue, resulting in awkward pacing that is frustrating for the viewer. Still, academic libraries may wish to overlook this irritation for the film's significant cultural and anthropological insights, including the documentation of the dismay many adults express over the media's fast hold on their children and the speed with which the younger generation is being absorbed into Russian culture. Recommended, with reservations. Aud: C, P. (A. Cantú)