set in spain , vengo is a standard mob story with a highly artistic twist . there isn't much of a plot , and what there is isn't that important . it is simply a frame within which to explore the culture of some vibrant spanish gypsies . in fact , the actual " talkie " scenes almost become too much of a distraction from the rich portrayal of the community . in vengo , there are two warring families whom you can't tell apart until they are yelling at each other . you connect with cacao ( antonio canales ) because he is followed throughout the film . he is charismatic , even in arrogance . everyone loves and obeys him , somewhat at a distance , as his daughter recently died . he is the guardian of his nephew because his brother shot a member of the caravacas family , which wants blood for blood , like any godfather movie , while cacao tries his best to make peace . cacao spends time with his family , throwing parties with hired bands , making sure his retarded nephew has a good time . in between are moments with those in charge of the caravacas family , building a slow , poignant path to revenge . every once in a while a few comedic notes are thrown in as the older women of the village clean up after the youngsters . luckily the plot development is repetitively simple so that all of the characters have room to be sympathetic . there isn't an annoying " good and evil " perspective placed on the viewer . this film is not about picking sides in an argument or making morality calls . it's simply an age-old dilemma of how one family deals with loss and another family who must grudgingly accept responsibility for it . but the music and dancing are the key roles in vengo . between the variety shown and the pride taken in skill and passing down of tradition , it's easy to become mesmerized with the culture . a nice added touch is that men take as much pride as women in being able to evoke physical grace . and though the dancing does have a sexually alluring quality , it is not the reason for participation . it can be difficult to grasp the lyrics because they are only partially subtitled . this is unfortunate for outsiders who know little about gypsy life because it's impossible to guess at the inspiration for such emoting performances . at least the emotional expression of the singers provides an easily sympathetic intensity that evokes an understanding about how attached the music is to tradition . you can assume that for every major change in their culture , there is a song to go with it that is passed down from one generation to the next . gatlif has managed to utilize an old , almost boring , plot structure to respectfully portray a culture much overlooked . he obviously loved his subject and the way in which it was filmed provides a contagious appreciation for a people often misunderstood . 
