SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS

Film directed by Serguei Paradjanov

USSR, 1966, 95’, Original version with French subtitles, col./b&w

This film is set in an unknown Ukrainian village, where two children, Ivan and Marichka, share a simple love. At the time of their nuptials, Marichka succumbs to a tragic accident. In despair, Ivan searches for her everywhere. Later he marries another, Palgna, only to be cruelly hurt by her sorcerer-lover, before finally reuniting with Marichka in the afterworld.

Through this simple story, Paradjanov offers a torrent of images of stupefying beauty. His films are crafted objects, reflecting the customs of a people: here the Hutsuls of the Carpathians. Filmed like a tentative reconstruction of memory, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors was a ground-breaking film.