The Great Water
Encyclopedia
The Great Water is a 2004 Macedonian
film
starring Saso Kekenovski, Maja Stankovska, Mitko Apostolovski, Meto Jovanovski
and Verica Nedeska. It was directed and written by Ivo Trajkov. The music was created by Kiril Dzajkovski
.
in the 1970s, the movie is about the difficult transition in Macedonia after World War II
.
The film begins in the present as old Lem (Meto Jovanovski), Macedonian politician who is experiencing a heart attack and while he is being wheeled into a hospital and examined and wired, he has memory flashbacks to his childhood in 1945. He is brought to the 'orphanage' where orphans are children of the enemies of the new regime. There he learns how to adjust to the role of obedient brainwashing. He becomes mesmerized by a new kid, Isak, a beautiful and charismatic boy. The struggles quietly underplaying all of the camp surface activity are many: the dichotomy of a Communist ideology removing the Church from existence with a people dependent upon the spiritual values of religion, the Stalin/Tito issue, the adjustments to the policies of Communist regime in a country where fierce national pride had ruled, and the depersonalization of children into political pawns despite the need for role models and the luxury of growing up with friends and confidants.
's submission to the 77th Academy Awards
for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but it failed to make the nominees shortlist.
with an 88% "Cream of the Crop" designation based on 8 reviews. The film also received a generally favourable metascore of 62 based on 15 reviews on Metacritic
.
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
starring Saso Kekenovski, Maja Stankovska, Mitko Apostolovski, Meto Jovanovski
Meto Jovanovski
Meto Jovanovski is a Macedonian writer from the village of Brajčino in the Republic of Macedonia.-References:...
and Verica Nedeska. It was directed and written by Ivo Trajkov. The music was created by Kiril Dzajkovski
Kiril Dzajkovski
Kiril Džajkovski , often credited as simply Kiril, is an internationally acclaimed Macedonian electronic musician and music composer.-Biography:...
.
Synopsis
Based on a children's book written by Zivko CingoZivko Cingo
Živko Čingo Macedonian writer, born in Velgosti, near Ohrid. He studied literature at the University of Sts Cyril and Methodius , Skopje. He worked as a journalist and as Director of the Macedonian National Theatre...
in the 1970s, the movie is about the difficult transition in Macedonia after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The film begins in the present as old Lem (Meto Jovanovski), Macedonian politician who is experiencing a heart attack and while he is being wheeled into a hospital and examined and wired, he has memory flashbacks to his childhood in 1945. He is brought to the 'orphanage' where orphans are children of the enemies of the new regime. There he learns how to adjust to the role of obedient brainwashing. He becomes mesmerized by a new kid, Isak, a beautiful and charismatic boy. The struggles quietly underplaying all of the camp surface activity are many: the dichotomy of a Communist ideology removing the Church from existence with a people dependent upon the spiritual values of religion, the Stalin/Tito issue, the adjustments to the policies of Communist regime in a country where fierce national pride had ruled, and the depersonalization of children into political pawns despite the need for role models and the luxury of growing up with friends and confidants.
Awards
The film won the Grand Prize at Valencia Film Festival. It was also Republic of MacedoniaRepublic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
's submission to the 77th Academy Awards
77th Academy Awards
The 77th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2004 and were held on February 27, 2005, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. They were hosted by comedian Chris Rock.The nominees were announced on January 25, 2005...
for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but it failed to make the nominees shortlist.
Reception
The film received favourable reviews from critics, earning a 71% "Fresh" rating based on 21 reviews on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
with an 88% "Cream of the Crop" designation based on 8 reviews. The film also received a generally favourable metascore of 62 based on 15 reviews on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
.