Just the Wind

Mari lives with her invalid father and two children outside the city; day-to-day existence has its problems, but now they fear for their lives as well: their village has witnessed some extremely brutal crimes where families have been gunned down in their own homes by unknown perpetrators. How can a mother take herself off to work when she doesn’t know what might happen to her kids in the meantime? Need the children restrict their everyday activities when the nature of the violence is so irrational and thus inscrutable? Inspired by real events, the filmmakers are keen to avoid emphasis on the folklore associated with the Romany community, and focus instead on their daily struggles, their individual troubles and woes. Without uprooting its characters from their environment, the film is able to see into the problems of each one of them. The director is not seeking a cathartic climax, however; rather he works towards a critical resolution, bringing to a head the prolonged strain and tension which the viewer inevitably experiences together with the protagonists. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)