Parajanov’s breakthrough film is a highly symbolic story of a family rivalry in the Hutsul culture in Ukraine. Brimming with colours, folklore and costumes, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors contrasts sharply with the socialist realism style that had government approval. Later on, Parajanov himself would deem his film a piece of appropriation, criticizing its ‘ethnographic’ and ‘colonial’ qualities. Soon after Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, Parajanov would venture into a variety of new, often more playful cinematic approaches.
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
