Pavee Lackeen: The Traveller Girl Movie Review:


If you've seen anything by the Dardenne Brothers (most notably Rosetta), you will recognise their style in this naturalistic Irish drama about travellers (aka gypsies). It's technically astute, and opens the door on a rather shocking situation, but it's a bit dull and repetitive.

Winnie is a 10-year-old living with her mother Rose and nine or so siblings in a series of trailers alongside a Dublin road. While inventively prowling for supplies, they have a constant stream of visitors: council employees trying to find them a permanent home, social workers concerned about the kids' health and schooling, government lackeys trying to get them to move, friends and relatives who might be able to help. Amid all this Winnie's childhood is fairly relaxed; she barely seems bothered when she gets in trouble for fighting in school, or when she gets caught shoplifting.

This moral relativism is perhaps the film's most intriguing aspect. These people are indeed victims of society, and they have little choice but to steal to survive. But it's terrifying to think of all these children being raised without any moral compass at all. Their life is pretty much like any other kid's--playing sport, going out on the town, exploring the shops, thinking about their future and, ahem, dodging the law. But they're fairly insulated, due to a combination of their style of living and the awful prejudice of the people around them. One hilarious scene involves the girls getting all dolled up to go out one night. But to do what?

The only plot involves an eviction letter Rose receives, telling her she must vacate the location and move 200 yards up the road to a muddy field with no running water. False promises and blatant betrayal are the tactics the council uses to get these people off their hands, and it's seriously disturbing. Yet the filmmaker still manages to find flashes of hope through the brightly shot, intimate and artful filming style. On the other hand, a little more story might have held our interest more strongly than this meandering slice of life.



Rich Cline

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