Gherdeal

Between the Carpathian Mountains and the Black Sea, in a Romanian region that stands out for its originality and simplicity, lies the little village of Gherdeal. The region was named Siebenburgen by the Saxons after the seven fortress cities they had built to protect themselves when they arrived in Transylvania, the land between the forests, from Germany in the 12th century. But today, the region resembles a no-man’s-land and Gherdeal is like a ghost town. Most of the German ethnic minority emigrated after the fall of the communist regime, leaving the region almost empty: 41 inhabitants remained in Gherdeal. The film shows in impressive, sometimes alarming images, the life and emotions of the last remaining inhabitants of Gherdeal, a life of extreme poverty, isolation and despair. The only refuges for those who have decided to stay are church and alcohol, like for the last remaining German family: the Ongherts. They fight against the rapid disappearance of their homeland and culture with all their strength and a robust sense of humour. (DOK.fest München)