Who, and Why Would Anyone Do That... Ever?

Last night I had the great opportunity to get a further glimpse into the inspirational and maddening genius of Gogol Bordello front man, Eugene Hütz. Thanks in large part to The Alamo Drafthouse, a buddy of mine and I headed to the Ritz Downtown to check out this week's installment of "Music Mondays" (okay so I may have inadvertently lifted that title) - The Pied Piper of Hützovina.

The film is a documentary by Czech filmmaker Pavla Fleischer (cine./assistant dir. on the apparently haunting doc Blues by the Beach) and follows what started out as a project to reunite her and Hütz and to rekindle a flame that once burned between them. After actually reuniting it was painfully apparent that this was not the film that would be made. Instead, Hütz's vision took to the forefront as he guided Fleischer on a trip through the slums of East Europe/Siberia. Hütz's goal - reunite with his own heritage via Gypsy music.

Having lived in a small part of Kiev for the beginning of his life and them emigrating to the United States, it was great fun and very touching to see him head back home and try to find where he came from. Along the way he meets his hero (Sasha Kolpakov), is told by a very influential Romany Gypsy artist that his music is destructive, and attempts to connect the dots between different clans of Gypsies while experiencing their culture firsthand through music, using the time to cultivate his own understanding of the culture and how it relates to his art.

It was insightful and, like I said, inspirational. Hütz is very comfortable in front of the camera (if you'll remember his debut in Everything Is Illuminated) and he's very funny.

Hütz was even there to introduce the film to us all (Gogol was playing a show down the street at Stubbs later that night), and to hear what he had to say firsthand about the film was great. Unfortunately, Fleischer I don't think was there, but to see Eugene firsthand in his random neo-gypsy duds was perfect enough for us all.

I'd love to recommend this film to anyone who enjoys music and the idea of reconnecting with something you've only a vague notion of, to anyone who feels a slight connection to another part of the world and has always had the indescribable urge to flesh out exactly why.

The Pied Piper of Hützovina is out now on DVD. You can buy or rent it from the site.