La Ballade du serpent

A Gypsy village situated at a stone’s throw from Bucarest has been christened by its inhabitants “Clejani City”. Most of those Gypsies are musicians who, when they do not play music at celebrations, christenings and weddings, spend their time arguing among themselves, throwing dice and singing ballads written by Haiduks, the avenging highwaymen of the Romanian Middle Ages. A scene from an impressionistic ballad seems to be enacted before us: a young man called Marius wagers his accordion while a witch buries a snake behind a young girl’s house. The young girl sees the scene in a dream and dies…