The Curse of the Hedgehog

enlarge +

Grand Prize, Film.dok 2005 Best Documentary Award, Docupolis Barcelona 2005 Special Commendation, XIV International Film Festival Belgrade 2005 Finalist of the Ioris Ivens Competition, IDFA 2004

"I cared for my donkey more than I do for my own man and kids. But now it's dead. If I had a donkey now, I would live like a Member of Parliament.” concludes Turica, one of the main characters in the film. She and her relatives wander from village to village, carrying on their backs huge bundles of handmade brooms and baskets, which they try to trade for food. The filmmaker follows this extremely poor Gypsy family in their survival winter trips. With a cine-verite camera style, the film goes beyond all Gypsy stereotype. We see real people coping with the absurd or the tragicomic situations in their everyday life. A remarkable photography, together with the very rich oral tradition of the character brings us in a world whose existence is almost inconceivable to most of us.