Movie night: "Dust" (M. Manchevski, 2001)

Macedonia has a long history written in blood. The blood of its people, who either willingly or unwillingly became its soldiers, its defenders. After the year 1462 when the world witnessed the fall of Constantinople, the Muslim Turks began their march towards Europe and Macedonia was no exception. During the centuries of the Turkish reign, there were many who rebelled, many who devoted and in the end gave their lives for their beloved motherland. They were freedom fighters to their fellow citizens the Macedonians, but outlaws and enemies to the Turks.


Source: www.IMDb.com

During that time, the people in the distant West lived very different lives. But they had one thing in common with the so called outlaws in Macedonia, and that is, they all liked gold. And that is how the story of the movie "Dust" begins.  Movie Info


And as it progresses we are taken from the present day to the past, and from America to Macedonia. Our guide is Luke, who begins his journey to the eastern lands in search for gold. And during the bloodshed and all the hatred our hero's goal changes from hunting gold, to saving human life. However, Luke is not the one telling the story, it is an old woman who's role is not revealed at the beginning, but she is the one with the story. The one and only listener is a man in trouble and the only way for him to get what he needs is to listen.

As the story progresses we learn about the connection between Luke and the old woman who dies before the end without finishing her story. But, death is not the end because the listener not only finds what he's looking for, but also finishes the story and grants the old woman's last wish, which is to be buried where she was born.

--

The project "Celebrate the Difference!" is co-financed from the EU programme YOUTH in Action, German national agency.