An Episode In The Life Of An Iron Picker, film review: Grimly compelling account of a family struggling for survival

Danis Tanovic's heart-rending drama-documentary recreates the plight of an impoverished Roma family.

The mother has a miscarriage but the Bosnian health system denies her the surgery she needs.

The father, who makes his living as a scrap dealer, tries to raise funds to pay for her care and the community rallies around him.

Shot in the dead of winter, the film features real characters re-enacting their own recent experiences.

The director’s bigger points about anti-Roma prejudice and state indifference to suffering are obvious.

The film is also grimly compelling on a dramatic level as an account of a family struggling desperately for survival.