Vrba

A young couple in medieval times, unable to bear, seek help through ritual and an old crone's magic, but the payment she demands is the stuff of nightmares. A young couple in modern times seeks help through science, with results equally overwhelming. A third woman adopts a boy who is silent, perhaps autistic. All three women love their children, but they all face daunting ordeals. Using the same cross-time triptych as in his magnificent debut film Before the Rain, Milcho Manchevski interweaves timeless, universal themes in which the sum is greater than its parts, in which the most powerful force of all is a mother's selfless love for her child. A film you will not forget. (Cinequest Festival)