BY ELISABETH DONNELLY |
Free Flick Fridays: <br>The Pied Piper of Hützovina
Gypsy punk bandleader Eugene Hütz (catch his Gogol Bordello at All Points West!) has charmed the likes of Madonna, Elijah Wood, and even Gucci; and in this documentary, smitten filmmaker Pavla Fleischer follows him on a trip back to his native Ukraine and the music of his heritage.
Dir. Pavla Fleischer (2006)
Eugene Hütz has to be one of the most charismatic men on earth. A Ukranian immigrant (who fled his hometown) turned icon of New York City cool with his gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello, he's bewitched Madonna, Liev Schreiber and Elijah Wood (who directed and acted with him, respectively, in Everything is Illuminated), worked as a model, inspired a Gucci collection, and much more. In The Pied Piper of Hützovnia, London-based filmmaker Pavla Fleischer follows Hütz on a trip back to the Ukraine: nursing a crush or some sort of romantic fascination, her goal is to find out more about him, while his goal is to explore Roma music throughout the country, including the gypsy camps of his youth. (Boban Markovic makes an appearance; you should definitely listen to that band if you like Zach Condon's music as Beirut.) The resulting doc tries to get at the heart of an elusive man and the joyous, debauched, and poignant music of his people.
Watch the film now for free on YouTube: