Stéphane (Duris) is a young Parisian who turns up at a remote gypsy village in Romania, trying to track down a legendary folk singer. A crafty old drunk called Izidor (Serban) offers Stéphane hospitality and introduces him to village life. Amid all the singing, drinking, dancing, partying and music-making, our "Gadjo Dilo" (meaning "crazy foreigner") soon finds himself falling in love with Sabina (Hartner), a feisty peasant woman. But ethnic tensions between the Romanians and Romanies gradually intensify, and eventually lead to tragic consequences.
Fluidly directed by Gatlif, this loosely-structured tale attempts (not always successfully) - to blend comedy, drama and ethnic observation. But it's undoubtedly a sincere exploration of Romany culture, with performances from Duris and Hartner that lend a certain charm.
