Closing this year's 20th London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, Gypo (a pejorative British term originally used for Gypsy travelers, now also for refugees in the U.K.) tells the story of the breakdown of a working-class family when a Romany Czech young girl enters their lives.

The story by producer Elaine Wickham and writer/director Jan Dunn is cleverly told from three perspectives: the mother, Helen (Pauline McLynne), an unhappily married woman in search of something else; the father, Paul (Paul McGann), a racist, hypocrite, and bigamist tired of being poor; and the young Romany Czech Tasha (Chloe Sirene), a strong-headed and intelligent girl taking care of her mother as they await their British passports, and their freedom.

Shot on a shoestring budget (less than $100,000) Gypo has a great sense of immediacy, reality and intensity. The script was written in prose to encourage improvisation, but each character is remarkably well defined, something that is often lacking in a more traditionally scripted movie.

Credit here must especially go to the younger actors, Sirene (Tasha) and Tamzin Dunstone (Kelly, Helen's daughter), in particular. Creating a believable tumultuous relationship between a mother and a daughter came quite naturally to Dunstone, and Sirene gives an utterly striking performance while keeping a Czech accent throughout (she is from London, and isn't Czech).

The story that develops between Helen and Tasha is heartfelt, sweet and rather funny at times. Pauline McLynne, well known for her role in the comedy TV show Father Ted, shows her strength here as a very moving dramatic actress, while keeping her innate sense of comedy as she delivers lines such as: “You know that your hand is on my knee! And kind of moving around now…” in the café where Tasha makes her first move.

Initially a story based on the director's local community, Gypo turns out to be an intimate portrayal of a family in crisis, the longing for change and the incredible impact of love, hatred and ignorance. It may have started off as a calling card for Dunn and Wickham, but it has turned so many heads that these filmmakers have landed enough money for their next film, which will star Bob Hoskins and lesbian favorite Josiane Balasko (French Twist).

They have also managed to get Gypo picked up by distributors in the U.K. and the U.S. Don't miss it when it comes to your hometown.

Visit the official site for more information about Gypo