Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18196 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-09-17
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 93 minutes

Synopsis
Director Jan Dunn's debut feature is shot in the Dogme style, which uses an all-natural method of shooting that abstains from professional lighting, non-diagetic music, or any action that couldn't really happen. The result is a humanistic, affecting tale of a working-class family stuck in a destructive rut; Helen (Pauline McLynn) and Paul (Paul McGann) are unhappy with their lives but unable to change. When their daughter brings home a young Czech Romany woman (Chloe Sirene), Paul reacts with prejudice and disdain, while the young woman breathes new life into Helen's existence.

Customer Reviews

Decent film, but perhaps a little too worthy
Gypo is the story of a working class family in Margate, Kent, a town where immigrants have become the focus of most of the public's discontent.
The film tells the story of the a couple of weeks in this family's life, beginning when a young Czech girl, Tash, comes to visit.

The film is made in the Dogme95 tradition, so no costumes, no lighting, no props or sets, which gives the film a gritty texture appropriate to the story.

The same story is told from the point of view of each of the three protagonists, Helen, her husband Paul, and Tash. The format has something to say about the selectiveness of memory, and how the same events can be experienced differently by different people. Certainly it does that with subtlety and sensitivity.

However, the downside of this form of story-telling is that you inevitably have a lot of repetition. This slows the film somewhat, and makes the edning visible from a long way off. Unfortunately, what it also does is make explicit the sensitive pieces of acting, so things you picked up and realised early on and spelled out in capital letters, and on one occasion with Paul with unnecessarily overt imagery.

Paul McGann puts in a great performance but for the other characters the improvised feel to the film works more unevenly - there are moments of real insight and others that jar you back.

I would give this film 3.5 stars if I could - it is worth a watch, because it has interesting things to say, but it also has its flaws.

Three sides of a story...
It's strange how many sides to a story there can be. How many realities and emotions there can be to the same single fact.
This film made me think of how nothing we know of other people's life even if we thoroughly think we know the person.
A slow paced film based I think in Dover or a village nearby. The harsh reality of misunderstandings between wife and husband, mother and daughter, locals and refugees.
Have patience but it is worth watching.

Heartwarming love story
I had pretty low expectations of this film, based, probably, on the off putting title. However, everything else about this film is utterly brilliant. The performances and dogme style make it realistic ; the structure (same story from three points of view) is clever because it means that you really don't find out the full story until near the end, thus building plenty of suspense. The social themes (Roma refugees, teenage pregnancy, marriage and parenthood) are highly topical. Having said all this the film would still not be brilliant if it were not given heart by the unlikely love story that is at it's centre. This film gave me the best warm buzz of the year! Kudos to all involved, but I would like to single out Rula Lenska and Chloe Sirene for special attention. It's great to see that Rula Lenska is still working and looking as wonderful as ever. Chloe Sirene is very beautiful and has a lovely half smile on her face in her scenes with Helen, seemingly bemused by her good fortune in finding someone to love. I recommend this is all of you who are looking for feel good movie.