"Gypsy," by Martin Sulik, Fictional Portrait of the Roma "Gypsy," a fictional portrait of an impoverished Roma settlement in eastern Slovakia, offers a mostly depressing picture of a marginalized Middle European culture living in squalor. The villagers dwell in filthy huts planted on a muddy hillside; their roofs are assemblages of junk, and there is no electricity, heat or running water. The movie, directed by Martin Sulik from a screenplay by Marek Lescak and Mr. Sulik, and filmed with nonactors, doesn't try to counteract stereotypes of the Roma people as shiftless, thieving hustlers. But it goes a long way toward explaining the antisocial behavior. It sees the pariah status of these shunned peasants - some 200,000 are living in Slovakia - as a motivating factor in their embrace of petty crime. In addition to providing a living, it is a way of getting even with the outside world for its disdain. The depth of scorn endured by the Roma is suggested by a scene in which a woman in labor is nearly turned away by a hospital whose officials, suspecting a scam, are reluctant to give her care. The children are acutely aware of their status. One boy plaintively dreams of going to England, where he has heard that Gypsies can pass themselves off as Pakistanis. Even the members of a friendly outside group, who visit to make a documentary of Gypsy music, show traces of condescension. The Roma, who view these outsiders with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion, have no qualms about trying to steal from them whatever they can. The story's template is "Hamlet," although it doesn't slavishly follow Shakespeare's plot. Except in some jarringly blunt ghost scenes filmed as actual meetings between a son and his dead father, its style is neorealist. Adam (Janko Mizigar), the film's Hamlet surrogate, is an observant, nearly expressionless 14-year-old boy of few words, with big brown eyes that fill up the screen in the opening close-up. When his father (Ivan Mirga) dies after being hit by a car in suspicious circumstances, his mother (Miroslava Jarabekova) immediately marries his uncle, Zigo (Miroslav Gulyas, in the film's strongest performance), a stocky roughneck with a ponytail who exudes menace. A loan shark and a thief with a boundless hatred and contempt for "whitey," as Zigo refers to non-Roma society, he attempts to instill his rage in Adam, whose father had brought him up to pursue assimilation. Zigo pressures Adam and his brother, Marian (Martin Hangurbadzo), to collaborate in his criminal escapades. Marian, who is addicted to sniffing glue, and Adam are temperamental opposites. Their riskiest endeavor - the stealing of fuel from a train parked at a station while its crew takes a break - lands them in the custody of the police, who force them to strip and kneel at their feet. The light of Adam's life is his tough, sexually aggressive girlfriend, Julka (Martinka Kotlarova), whose avaricious parents loathe him because he threatens their plans to sell her to a wealthy man. It is a fate to which she is already reconciled. The most positive influence on the village's dead-end kids is the stern, kindly local priest (Attila Mokos) who channels their energies into boxing and takes a special interest in Adam. Zigo despises the priest, whom he baits with his suspicions of pedophilia; there is no indication of that behavior. "Gypsy" isn't entirely tragic. Scenes of stolen ostriches strutting haughtily on the village streets add a bizarre element of comedy and insert a seam of surreal humor that is a hallmark of Central European film. Gypsy Opens on Wednesday in Manhattan. Directed by Martin Sulik; written by Marek Lescak and Mr. Sulik; director of photography, Martin Sec; edited by Jiri Brozek; music by Peter Mojzis; production design by Frantisek Liptak; costumes by Katarina Holla; produced by Rudolf Biermann and Mr. Sulik; released by MK2. At Film Forum, 209 West Houston Street, west of Avenue of the Americas, South Village. In Slovak and Romany, with English subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 47 minutes. This film is not rated. WITH: Janko Mizigar (Adam), Martin Hangurbadzo (Marian), Martinka Kotlarova (Julka), Miroslava Jarabekova (Adam's Mother), Miroslav Gulyas (Zigo), Ivan Mirga (Adam's Father) and Attila Mokos (the Priest).