Angelo My Love (1983)

Angelo My Love delves into the little understood and fascinating world of New York gypsies with real gypsies playing fictionalized versions of themselves. This critically acclaimed film explores the lifestyle, rites, myths and passions of the tight-knit urban subculture. Twelve year-old Angelo Evans is the street-wise charmingly precocious son of a fortune teller. After the boy accuses a sleazy gypsy, Steve "Patalay" Tsigonoff, and his foul-mouthed wife, Millie, of stealing an ancestral ring, he chases them to Canada. Angelo wants the ring for his future bride, Patricia, and nearly disgraces his family to get it back. Along the way, Duvall presents an extraordinary slice of gypsy life, highlighting their music and tribal customs, a wedding and a "kris" - the gypsies' court of justice. His film has a spontaneity and exuberance that make it a one-of-a-kind experience.