Wengo

Spain   d/ Tony Gatlif

Very loosely structured as a drama, this film was actually made as a celebration of Andalusian life. It began with an unexplained 8 minute musical gathering in a neat hilltop ruin where hand-clapping flamenco was played. Every ten minutes or so we got another extended musical interlude. This allowed Gatlif to portray a sense of his beloved culture...but it felt after a while like being subjected to someone else's musical passion - the more he shoved it at me the less I liked it.

There was a family/revenge story floating around in the background but by the time it came to the fore I had lost interest.

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