"Transylvania" *** (out of ****)A young woman travels to Transylvania to find a Romanian Gypsy musician who was deported from France, after entering the country illegally. He is unaware but they have conceived a child. She is two months pregnant. Will she ever find him?
This is the set-up to filmmaker Tony Gatlif's "Transylvania" (2006). Gatlif is a well known director on the film festival circuit and known to more adventurous filmbuffs with an appetite for something outside the mainstream. He, along with Emir Kusturica, have directed films which the Gypsy community consider classics such as "Latcho Drom" and "The Crazy Stranger", perhaps my favorite of Mr. Gatlif's films.
Gatlif was born in a part of France that is now known as Algeria and is half Gypsy himself. The history of Gypsy culture interest Mr. Gatlif very much. His films show the poverty in which they live in but also displays their moments of happiness through their love of music and carefree lifestyle. Outsiders, in Mr. Gatlif's films, who enter the community are never the same again. The Gypsy lifestyle is infectious. It causes them to see the world differently.
My first thought while watching "Transylvania" was it is the flip side to "The Crazy Stranger". Both films involve someone searching for a musician. In "The Crazy Stranger" a man hears a women sing on a cassette and becomes so consumed by her voice he travels to find her. Here Zingarina (Asia Argento) seeks Milan (Marco Castoldi), the father of her child. Both films are road movies but not only in the physical sense. Yes Zingarina travels from France to Romania but she is on an adventure of the mind and spirit. And finally both films deal with Romanian Gypsies. The comparisons end there.
I find "Transylvania" to be a darker film. "The Crazy Stranger" was a more "happy" film. There was much joy to what Mr. Gatlif showing us. Here, that joy is sometimes absent. There is more sadness in these characters. This is not a flaw mind you but Mr. Gatlif doesn't do despair well. He is not Ingmar Bergman or Andrei Tarkovsky. He is unable to plummet deep inside man's soul. Thus he treats the drama half-heartily. He puts comedic touches in the film. Some work, some don't.
I've written about Asia Argento on this blog many times. I've seen a few films she has made with her father, Italian horror master Dario Argento, and some of her more recent works such as "Boarding Gate" and "The Last Mistress". She is an interesting screen presence. Gatlif brings something out of her. Her performance has more subtle moments, more vulnerability, than I'm use to seeing. These two should work together again and often.
With most of Ms. Argento's performances there is a level of sexuality and wildness but in "Transylvania" Mr. Gatlif seems to use that and treat it as a mask. There is a scene where Zingarina is drunk and starts dancing to the music of a Gypsy band. She unzips her dress and dances in her bra. But Zingarina doesn't really feel sexy at this moment or happy. People don't always drink to celebrate. They drink to forget. To forget the pains of life and the problems of the day. Drinking is an escape. When we see Zingarina dance it is not a cause for celebration. I think she is trying to hide her pain. There is a strong universal connection there. Ms. Argento doesn't usually have such vulnerable moments in her films. It is a welcome treat to see her play more than the badass. Zingarina is a weak woman in a sense. She depends on others. She wants to be loved. At times she has a child like innocence.
That innocence makes me think of Fellini's "La Strada", another road movie. La Strada means "the road" in Italian. Argento is not as innocent as Fellini's heroine but she is paired with her own traveling "strongman".
Zingarina meets Tchangalo (Birol Unel), a traveling antiques dealer. They strike up a strange relationship which may or may not be based on mutual attraction. Tchangalo tries to be the more dominating personality. As the film progresses Zingarina starts to become more and more like a Gypsy. When with Tchangalo she starts to dress like one. This gives him the upper hand since now he orders her around. But she is not a Gypsy. Her child will be though which may account for her interest in the culture.
This leads to an interesting question some have concerning Zingarina. Some debate whether or not she is a Gypsy after all. Her name, Zingarina, sounds pretty close to the German word for Gypsy "Zigeuner".
Tchangalo is portrayed as a kind of brute. A strong, all knowing con-man. But his feelings towards Zingarina appear to be sincere. Is there a tenderness to him? In some ways these characters are identical. A hard exterior with a soft interior.
"Transylvania" has caused a bit of controversy. I've yet to talk to a single Romanian who liked it. Nearly all of them complain about the representation of Romanians and Transylvania in the film. They are afraid it will give viewers the impression all Romanians are Gypsies and live in poverty. I can understand this way of thinking, as this often happens to Hungarians in American cinema. Watch "Golden Earrings" as an example. But I don't feel that is the case here. Mr. Gatlif makes a distinction between Romanians and Gypsies. But this kind of talk makes it seem that being a Gypsy is a negative thing. I don't want to imply that. It is only bad in the sense they are a minority and face the same problems all minorities face such as blacks, Hispanics or homosexuals. Every country has Gypsies: Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Russia, Poland, France, Ireland, Serbia...ect. My father used to say, where there's land, there's Gypsies. More intelligent viewers might be able to understand the difference.
Still, despite the controversy there is much to enjoy while watching "Transylvania". There is a wonderful musical score, Ms. Argento's performance and moments of great drama and insight. The film has the typical message you find in Mr. Gatlif's films and because of that most of his fans should be pleased. While I don't think the film is as good as "The Crazy Stranger" it is nonetheless worth while viewing.
The film sadly is not available on DVD in America. A Shame. It took me a few years to finally see this film. Occasionally it will play on television. Usually the Sundance Film Channel. Check listings. It may take a while but if you stick with it long enough you'll be sure to see it. I did.
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