“based on an anecdote about the second world war by the romani historian jacques sigot, the film was inspired by the true life of a romani who escaped the nazis with help from french villagers, and depicts the rarely documented subject of porajmos (the romani holocaust).” korkoro (freedom) is a lush depiction of romani culture – their strong sense of community and intuitive bond with nature. taloche (one of the characters) is an embodiment of transcendental ecstasy. there are some remarkable scenes in the film where taloche’s experience of freedom borders on rapturous insanity. the casting of taloche is an interesting story. tony gatlif, the director, wanted an accomplished musician/acrobat who exuded intense purity. he ended up hiring james thiérrée, a grandson of charlie chaplin, who learned gypsy swing music in 6 months. this is an unusual holocaust film. it takes its time, it’s shot with some emotional distance, it’s subtle, symbolic, controlled. perhaps the fact that gatlif intended for it to be a documentary initially has something to do with it. the combination of controlled, realistic storytelling and unrestrained romani vigor make for a rich film. the musical score, by tony gatlif and delphine mantoulet, is perfectly integrated with the film’s cinematography in a way that i have never seen before – it’s more ambient sound than music. it is estimated that a quarter of the romani population was exterminated by the germans during WWII. it’s worthwhile to remember what happens when racial panic is translated into law. it’s also important to know that roma persecution in europe continues to this day…