Three Roma children from a small Transylvanian town participate in a project to desegregate the local school, struggling against indifference, tradition and bigotry with humor, optimism and sass. A captivating, bitter-sweet and often funny story about hope and race.
OUR SCHOOL tells the story of Alin, Beni and Dana, three Roma children in rural Transylvania who are among the pioneer participants in an initiative to integrate the ethnically segregated Romanian schools. When their district is ordered desegregated, the children set out for the city school, with high hopes for education, new friendships, and a better future, even as funds earmarked for integration are questionably used to build a "Roma-only" school in their village. Shot over four years, this tender portrait of rural village life and its rhythms fosters an intimacy with the children's profound reality and an admiration for their indomitable spirit, punctuated by shocking instances of prejudice and ignorance. The story touches on issues ranging from institutionalized racism, public education, and the intractability of poverty, culminating in an outrageous finale that cements the Roma children's struggle in the annals of egregious human rights violations. OUR SCHOOL is an absorbing, infuriating, and ultimately bittersweet story of tradition and progress.
Director
Director