FEMALE STORIES
Released: Macedonia
Duration: 30 minutes
Classification: Documentary
Director: Jelena Cvetanovska
Content: In traditional folk stories, women are stubborn, quarrelsome, shrewd, envious, evil and unfaithful. They are to
face punishment. On the other hand, a meek, good and devoted woman is always rewarded at the end, after all the suffering. What about
real life?
Not pretending to give definitive answers, the documentary presents the life histories of six old women living in different villages in
Macedonia. Through their stories, initiated and mediated by a woman anthropologist, the audience enters into the world of childhood,
love and jealousy, marriage, maternity, friendship, dreams and rituals. Memories and emotions connected to them emerge in front of the
camera, which becomes a witness of a lively and sincere exchange of female experiences. The viewers have access to the most intimate
parts of their lives – from the death of the mother in the childhood, first love and the wedding night to the complex sphere of marital
relations, including physical maltreatment. Being different characters, their attitudes and reactions are unique. Some of them resign
to their destiny, while others fight for personal freedom, neglecting traditional norms regarding behavior of women.
They retell their life stories in a calm and even humorous way, not allowing us to treat them like pitiful victims as expected.
Director: Jelena Cvetanovska
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