Celestial Wives of the Meadow Mari (2012)
This is a collection of portraits: 23 short stories about the Mari women, a sort of Decameron suspended between magic and realism, in which the Autonomous Republic of the Marij El serves as a backdrop for the collective history of a people of ancient tradition. A journey into a mysterious and unknown part of the world.
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Excellent movie. This film is a unique excursion into a pagan traditions and folklore of Mari El people. (a small republic in Russian region) Sometimes it's humorous and sometimes erotic, and some will make you cry. It is also shoot in their native language. The cast is amazing - the real faces of the region, as well as the costumes. 23 short novels - 23 heroines. This film is dedicated to women - the love and death rituals, rites of passage that survived in modern society, it's all happening in the girls world - as the women are the ones who always keep the tradition. They contain the magic in their nature, believe in it and make it happen.
Based on the premise and structure of the film, there's no way this should have worked. But after seeing it at TIFF, this film is nothing short of spectacular. It's hard to take one's eyes off it as it shifts short vignettes of these different women - some funny, others terrifying and many emotional. The film is not always easily understood, but is always engaging and genuine. I felt incredibly sad to have had to rush to another screening of an ultimately inferior film and missed the Q&A with this fine director. However, judging by this, he'll have a powerful career and hopefully make a name for Russian cinema around the world.