The Curse of the Hedgehog (2004)

Storyline

„I care for my donkey more than I do for my for my own man and kids. But now it’d dead. If I had a donkey now, I would live like a member of Parliament”- concludes Turica, one of the main character in the film. She and her relatives wander from village to village, carrying handmades brooms and baskets, which they try to trade for food. The filmmaker goes beyond stereotypes, following an extremely poor Gypsy in their survival winter trips. The film follows the life of an extended Roma family for a whrole year. They belong to the “Baiesi “group of Roma, who live in extreme poverty. The filmmaker accompanied them on the way from their dwelling place in the mountain to the lowland villages, where they try to trade handmade goods for food or money. These winter tours are survival trips for them, as they have no other income whatsoever. However, the film is more than the story of their struggle to survive. During the 100 minutes, we come to understand why they refuse to work the land, and how they relate to the Romania shepherds, and to the rich Baesi from their village they call “businessmen”, who make large fortunes from selling fake rings abroad. We discover how mythological thinking is activated in their everyday life, along with their Christian Orthodox religiousness. By watching this film, we achieve a better understanding of the absurdities and the pain that fill the lives of these people living on the edge of society, and we come to admire the wit, and the humour, which help them to come through. (DaFilms)