The film tells the true story of French clown Miloud Oukili from his arrival in Romania in 1992 (three years after the fall of Ceausescu) to his encounter with the street children of Bucharest, known as «boskettari» who live in the streets and sleep in Bucharest's sewers, eking a living out of petty crime, begging, and prostitution.
Acting
Jalil Lespert's gentle persistence against chaos.
Cinematography
Sewer cinematography that's somehow beautiful.
Direction
Pontecorvo avoids poverty porn trap.
Director
Marco Pontecorvo
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Many child actors were actual former street children; some had lived in the same Bucharest sewers depicted.
The 'boskettari' phenomenon exploded after Ceausescu's 1989 fall—his ban on contraception created a generation of unwanted children the state couldn't absorb. The sewers became their kingdom.
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