A Story of the Forest: Mavka

(1980)

★ 5.9 IMDb · 18 votes

Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Romance

Year: 1980

Runtime: 83 мин

Country: Soviet Union

Director: Юрий Ильенко

Cast: Людмила Ефименко, Виктор Кремлёв, Майя Булгакова, Иван Миколайчук, Борис Хмельницкий, Виктор Демерташ, Людмила Лобза, Нина Шацкая, Светлана Сергеева, Ivan Khodulin

Plot

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.