Pavee Lackeen (The Traveller Girl)
Dir: Perry Ogden Ireland 2005 87 minutes PG
Starring:
Winnie Maughan, Rose Maughan, Rosie Maughan, Paddy Maughan, Michael Collins,
Helen Joyce, Abbie Spallen, Brian Dignam
"Pavee explores
the harsh world of children living on the margins of society"
Pavee Lackeen presents an uncompromising and unflinching portrait of a
poverty-stricken, marginalised community living in a modern, prosperous Ireland.
It tells the story of Winnie, a 10-year-old traveller girl, who lives with her
mother and siblings in a trailer on the side of the road in a desolate part of
Dublin. The film follows Winnie as she struggles with her identity as a young
traveller in contemporary Ireland, and her family, as they struggle against
faceless bureaucracy, poverty and prejudice.
The film dispels existing stereotypes, and presents an intimate portrait of a
resilient and spirited young girl and her proud, dignified family.
Filmed with a cast of mostly non-professional actors, the travelling people play
characters that mirror their own real life experiences. Pavee Lackeen
manages to avoid the usual stereotypes that often feature in depictions of
travellers, and explores the harsh world of children living on the margins of
our society, without sentimentalising their plight.