Auf der Kippe

A documentary filmed with lots of sensitivity; it keeps surprising you as it unfolds the drama and the comedy of daily life in the "Dallas" trash village near Cluj, Romania. Extremely interesting! According to an activist architect that I know, who is engaged in a project similar to "Habitat for Humanity", there are millions of people living below the poverty line in Romania (28% to be precise). Out of these millions, about 2 million fall within the categories of "severe" and, worse, "extreme" poverty. Extreme poverty means a person subject to it can practically die in any given week of the year, the reasons ranging from exposure to weather, untreated illness, malnourishment, etc. This documentary movie's protagonists are relatively successful as they figured out a way to turn other people's trash into merchandise. In addition, the director actually paid them a daily wages for appearing in his movie, thus adding a surprising new source of revenue to the precarious economy. The self-proclaimed village is called "Dallas" by its inhabitants, you'll have to see the movie to learn why. Of note: other films by the same director are also excellent in their exploration of exotic Romania.