And the Violins Stopped Playing

The German commander told the Romani they could live in the houses left by Jews who had been 're-located.' This was a deliberate euphemism, the Jews had been deported to concentration camps, not simply moved. Dymitr Mirga immediately recognized this as a prelude to the Romani's own deportation. The Nazis were using the same deceptive language to lure the Romani into a false sense of safety before rounding them up.

Earlier in the film, German officers assured Dymitr that the removal of Warsaw's Jews had nothing to do with the Romani, trying to Appease him.

After the German commander's offer revealed the Nazis' true intentions, the existing Romani leader and council resigned rather than make difficult decisions about evacuation. Dymitr had already proven his foresight by fleeing Warsaw after receiving a warning from an escapee, and he advocated strongly for evacuating to Hungary while it was still independent. The community trusted him to lead the dangerous journey to safety.

Zoya was originally betrothed to the former leader's son, but she chose to marry Roman, Dymitr's son, instead. This marriage decision was significant because it solidified the transfer of leadership within the community, Roman's marriage to Zoya bound the families together and reinforced Dymitr's position as the new leader during the perilous journey ahead.

Dymitr's group sold their remaining jewelry to another Romani community in exchange for horses. The horses allowed them to travel much faster than on foot, which was critical as Nazi forces were closing in. This desperate trade-off represented the Romani's willingness to sacrifice their remaining wealth for survival, showing how they prioritized escaping immediate danger over holding onto possessions.

Hungary had remained an independent country throughout most of WWII, providing a fragile sanctuary for the Romani refugees. When Nazi Germany forced the Hungarian government to collapse in 1944 and took direct control, the Romani lost their protected status. This political shift allowed the Nazis to round up and deport the Romani living in Hungary to concentration camps, ultimately leading to their transport to Auschwitz.

The entire journey to Hungary was undertaken specifically because it was still independent and believed to be safe.

Dr. Josef Mengele was known for his brutal medical experiments on prisoners at Auschwitz, particularly targeting twins and those with distinctive physical traits. The film shows him conducting cruel experiments on Romani prisoners as part of Nazi efforts to study supposed 'racial science.' These experiments caused severe suffering and death among victims.

Roman decided to escape after his wife Zoya died at Auschwitz. Her death, combined with the knowledge that the family was marked for death, motivated Roman to take action. He sought out a friend who had previously been his rival, and together they planned and executed the dangerous escape attempt.

Before the main transport arrived at Auschwitz, Dymitr's daughter managed to escape by squeezing through a small window of the moving cattle truck. This desperate act of courage allowed her to avoid imprisonment in the camp. Her successful escape later enabled her to reunite with her brother Roman after he escaped from the camp.

After Roman and his companion escaped from Auschwitz, they made contact with Roman's younger sister, who had previously escaped from the cattle truck during transport. The siblings were reunited outside the camp, providing a moment of hope amid the horrors they had endured. This reunion represented a small victory against the Nazi plan to exterminate their family.

The sister's earlier escape from the cattle truck set the stage for this reunion.

Zoya died at Auschwitz, though the specific circumstances of her death are not detailed in the summary. Her death was a pivotal moment that deeply affected Roman and motivated his decision to attempt escape. The loss of his wife represented one of the many tragedies the Romani family endured in the camp.

With the war over, only three Romani carriages carrying the surviving members of Dymitr's group departed toward a new life. The narrator notes that the Gypsy nation has never received compensation for the genocide they suffered, the Porajmos, which claimed hundreds of thousands of Romani lives. The ending emphasizes that while a few individuals survived, the broader community's losses remain unrecognized and unacknowledged.

Roman approached a friend who had previously been his rival, specifically the son of the former Romani leader, to help plan the escape. Despite their past rivalry, the desperate circumstances at Auschwitz forced them to put aside personal conflicts for the chance at survival. Their collaboration demonstrates how the life-threatening situation transcended previous community tensions.