Zigeuner-Leben: Jenny und ihre Roma-Kinder (Jenny and her Roma children)

Eight years ago, Jenny first encountered Roma people. Just 20 years old and already a mother to a six-month-old son, she was delivering Christmas presents in Transylvania. In a Carpathian village, she stumbled upon a hidden Roma settlement. Jenny had never before seen such dwellings or such stark poverty. Some babies lived with their mothers in dugouts in temperatures as low as -15 degrees Celsius. It was an experience that turned Jenny's life upside down. Jenny had always been an extreme character. At school, hardly anyone liked her—the constantly chattering, high-spirited, and cheeky girl. At 13, she turned to the wave-gothic scene, closer to the dark side than to life itself. That changed with the birth of her first child. Now 27, she has three children of her own and two foster children. She lives with them—together with Philipp, her German boyfriend—in a Roma village in Transylvania. She had to go down there, she says. The plight of the Roma has never left her. After their initial contact, Jenny wanted to set up a soup kitchen there, but quickly realized that simply distributing food wouldn't achieve anything. So, in Saxony-Anhalt, she mobilized her parents and sister, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers. While they shake their heads at Jenny's efforts, they regularly donate money and goods for the children she supports. Jenny's primary focus is on the children. She teaches them to read and write, as well as personal hygiene and table manners. Behind closed doors, the Roma call Jenny, the strict German woman, "General." But this is meant affectionately and may stem from Jenny's fiery temperament, her traditional dress, but above all, from her respectful treatment of the Roma. They, who are otherwise chased away and insulted, have found a staunch friend in this unconventional German woman. Jenny is now studying sociology and theology in Sibiu. The film follows Jenny through her whirlwind daily life: from her childhood bedroom to the lecture hall, then to the Roma village, and back again. The film explores why she puts herself through this and how her children cope with the harsh living conditions. Her parents, friends, and critics all have their say. An MDR production: http://www.werkblende.de