"The Weeping Meadow"
2004
Directed by Theo Angelopoulos

Part one of a trilogy planned by Greek master Theo Angelopoulos, The Weeping Meadow roughly spans the end of one great war to the next, 1919-1949. The narrative concerns the re-telling of 20th century Balkan history through the relationship of Alexis and his orphaned sister, Elani. The mode, however, dates back to Ancient Greece, as sister and brother become forbidden lovers and are ultimately separated by war and revolution - the stuff of pure epic tragedy. In terms of camerawork and mise-en-scene, this film shares much with Angelopoulos' Ulysses' Gaze and Eternity and a Day, with long, calculated tracking shots capturing realities so harrowing they border on surrealism. Imposing, cryptic, and stunning in the same vein as Tarkovsky and Jansco. Greek with English subtitles. 170 minutes.