Director: Jan Dunn
Starring: Pauline McLynn, Chloe Sirene, Paul McGann, Rula Lenska, Freddie Connor, Olegar Fedoro, Tamzin Dunstone

- Reviewed by Linda

BUY THE DVD! Gypo

To be the first UK film officially stamped with the Dogme seal of approval could be either a good or bad thing. The famous (or infamous) pared-down "pure" style of filmmaking started by Lars Von Trier and his Danish pals, Dogme can either be great (Celebration) or not (Julien Donkey-Boy). The least that can be said is that the movies are most often interesting. Natural light. Handheld cameras. No soundtrack. Etc, etc. In theory it is a great idea, and is made for the digital video filmmaking revolution.

That said, there is really nothing about the movie Gypo that specifically calls for this style of filmmaking, though it does give it a more voyeuristic sense of "real life" urgency. You can say that Gypo is like Rashomon, telling the same story from three different points of view... except, well, it is not like Rashomon at all because there are no samurai, and no one is murdered or raped (thank goodness). Each version of Gypo's story is from a different perspective, and offers new angles on moments that you think you understood, offering a pleasing unfurling of information about the characters and their actions.

Helen (Pauline McLynn) is a frustrated 40-something wife, mother, and new grandmother. Her husband Paul (Paul McGann) is a bit of a lout, a frustrated, cranky, racist blue-collar man who hates his job, but hates his home life even more. Tasha (Chloe Sirene) is a Romany Czech refuge immigrant who initially meets the family because she is the beauty-school classmate of Helen and Paul's daughter, but has a maturity beyond her years and immediately finds a kindred spirit in Helen. They all live in a seaside working-class town in England, and are all part of the uneasy mix of "native" Englanders and recent legal and illegal foreign immigrants learning to live with each other.

Rather than giving away more of the plot (the enjoyment of this film is watching it unfold), I'll just say that it is an intriguing portrayal of racism, tolerance, and intolerance in a struggling and changing community—all volatile issues in many Western countries. Pauline McLynn as Helen is simultaneously funny, shrill, annoying, and a good soul—her three-dimensional character is impressive, especially considering she is mainly known as a comedic television actress in the UK. Paul McGann has a tougher role, but still manages to make the unlikable Paul sympathetic. But it is Chloe Sirene as Tasha who grabs your attention. This young actress brings an effortless maturity and intelligence to the role, as well as natural sexiness that is crucial for the tension her character brings into the household. An actress like her is so much more interesting than all the run-of-the-mill slutty starlets that Hollywood churns out—Sirene is definitely one to watch for on the indie scene. Gypo (derogatory slang for "gypsy", by the way) is a film to watch for as well. It may not get wide release, but definitely deserves your attention when it make it to DVD.

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