Plai. A Mountain Path (Плай)

Production Status
Сompleted
Release Date
2021
Country(ies) of (co)production
Ukraine
Languages
Ukrainian
Duration
75’

This story is about people who have found more than they have lost under the pressure of their burdensome present.

It’s easy for a foreigner to get lost in the mountains. It is as if time stops there and every detail gets a whole new meaning. The well-paced rhythm of the Malkovych family’s everyday life demonstrates the universal human experience of continuity. They exist in harmony with the environment, and most importantly, in harmony with themselves. Life flows like a mountain river. This family perceives all the pitfalls, thresholds and obstacles as appropriate, as inevitable, as something temporary in the dimension of eternity. Tradition, religion, culture, war and peace, way of life and upbringing of children form a universal mosaic of human happiness and suffering. At the center of the plot are a couple living in a remote village hidden in the midst of the Carpathian Mountains. Dmytro and Hannusya have been married for over thirty years. Dmytro lost his leg while defending Ukraine’s independence. The family’s life has changed since. Hannusya started to carry the burden of the difficult rural life alone. Their daughter, in spite of her college degree, had to go to Poland looking for a job, leaving behind two kids to be brought up by their grandparents. The children grow up and begin to reflect on the adult subjects of war and peace, to draw their own conclusions that strike us with their sincerity and depth. With this film, the director wants to reveal the poetry hidden in daily life full of hard work and personal sacrifice.

CREW:
Production: Oksana Ivanyuk
Funding:
Total budget: € 58 000
Already engaged financial partners and funds: Ukrainian State Film Agency
Point of contact:
Oksana Ivanyuk, [email protected], 380664400244
Festivals
Participation in the Ukrainian Doc Preview pitching as a part of the 17th Docudays UA with support from the Ukrainian Institute. Information support from the Pitch the Doc International Film Platform. The project was presented at the work-in-progress stage at the UKRAINIAN SHOWCASE @ Cannes Docs during Marché du Film as a part of the Cannes Docs section (2020), with support from the Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival in partnership with the Ukrainian Institute.

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