Black Field

Vardis Marinakis : 2010
Mavro livadi

Set in 1654, when Greece was under Ottoman Empire occupation. A Janissary (a warrior of Greek origin recruited by force at a young age from his Christian family to serve in the Turkish army) arrives, badly wounded, at a remote female cloister where the sisters take him in and care for him. One of those nursing the soldier is Sister Anthi, a young Greek nun who has taken a vow of silence. They fall in love against all odds and eventually she helps him escape to the nearby forest where they lose themselves in a dream-like reality. But Anthi is tormented by a dark secret, soon to be revealed: she is, in fact, a boy who grew up as a girl, hidden in the monastery in order to avoid being captured and becoming a Janissary. The central focus of the film comes not from its historical context but from the relationship between the two main characters – most notably young Anthi's quest for freedom and identity, as she discovers hitherto unknown desires that lead her to a radically altered view of herself. A powerful and visually captivating drama about the search for sexual and gender identity, and the will to liberate oneself from society's rules and standards. Vardis Marinakis's feature debut received its international premiere at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2010, and was winner of the Cinematography Award from the Hellenic Film Academy 2010.