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.
- 5.8
- 1980
- Released
- 1h 23m
Liudmyla Yefymenko
Mavka
Viktor Kremlev
Lukash
Maya Bulgakova
Lukash’s Mother
Ivan Mykolaichuk
Uncle Leo / Wood Goblin
Boris Khmelnitsky
Red (forest) Demon
Viktor Demertash
Koots
Lyudmyla Lobza
Kylyna
Nina Shatskaya
Water Sprite
Svetlana Sergeyeva
Meadow Fairy
Ivan Khodulin
Kylyna’s child
Pylyp Illienko
Kylyna’s childVladimir Fyodorov
Hunger ImpsReleased
uk
- #based on novel or book
- #love triangle
- #arranged marriage
- #tragic love
- #curse
- #folklore
- #based on myths, legends or folklore
- #ukrainian village
- #ukrainian culture
- #ukraine
- #forest spirit
Reviews
It seems that I have stumbled on one of Yuri Ilyenko’s masterpieces at last, a beautiful and tragic adaptation of a play (written in 1912) based around folklore. Mavka, a water nymph is enticed by a young man’s flute and falls in love with him, only to be betrayed as the man marries another. The forest spirit turns the man into a werewolf for his betrayal, but Mavka’s devotion breaks the spell eve