The read
It runs a compact 1h 23m.
Synopsis
Mavka, a water nymph, loves Lukash, a country youth. Their brief happiness ends when Lukash is forced to marry the shrewish Kilina. The spirit of the forest turns Lukash into a wolf as punishment for his infidelity. The strength of Mavka's love breaks the spell, but Kilina curses the nymph, transforming her into a weeping willow. This beautiful and tragic story is based on a play written in 1912 by Lesya Ukrainka, a Ukrainian poet, writer and political, civil and female activist, and includes mythological characters taken from Ukrainian folklore.
Ratings
IMDb6.8/10
18 audience votes
Key crew
- Yurii IllienkoDirector
- Yurii IllienkoScreenplay
- Yevhen StankovychOriginal Music Composer
Cast
- Lyudmila EfimenkoMavka
- Viktor KremlevLukash
- Maya BulgakovaLukash’s Mother
- Ivan MykolaichukUncle Leo / Wood Goblin
- Boris KhmelnitskyRed (forest) Demon
- Viktor DemertashKoots
- Liudmyla LobzaKylyna
- Nina ShatskayaWater Sprite
- Svetlana SergeyevaMeadow Fairy
- Ivan KhodulinKylyna’s child
- Pylyp IllienkoKylyna’s child
- Vladimir FyodorovHunger Imps
Stills
Themes
based on novel or booklove trianglearranged marriagetragic lovecursefolklorebased on myths, legends or folkloreukrainian villageukrainian cultureukraineforest spirit