TRANSYLVANIA (2006)

Cast

Plot

Zingarina arrives in the backwaters of Transylvania determined to find her long-lost lover, a travelling musician named Milan. After trawling the various clubs and bars, with her friend Marie, she eventually finds him, only for Milan to reject her. Distraught, Zingarina cuts herself loose from Marie and all she knows. Plunged into confetti, drunken revelry and the thrumming festivities of a Romany carnival, and emerging in a daze, she is drawn deep into the enigmatic wilderness of the Romanian countryside. It is here that Zingarina meets Tchangalo, a travelling trader who takes her under his wing. They embark upon a road trip and revelatory odyssey, indulging in wild bouts of gypsy folk dance and nights of heady passion. ‘Transylvania' isn't the most successful celebration of Romany culture, but nevertheless has lots of musical energy and Céline Bozon's stunning camerawork shows a post-Ceausescu industrial wasteland, magical twilight and elemental snowscapes with hallucinatory immediacy. It's a memorable visual treat.