This essay film transports us to Eastern Europe, where it draws from recent history and local folklore to explore provocative, universal ideas about the domineering relationship between man and nature. Amid the ruins of this war-torn region, Oreck locates sublime images of daily life. Farmers scythe fields and bale hay. A wedding party dances late into the evening, then gathers to launch floating lanterns into the night sky. Mushroom hunters scour the forests and dump their finds into a flash freeze. Interwoven into this finely woven 16mm tapestry is beautifully hand-drawn animation depicting the Slavic myth of Baba Yaga, a sinister witch who dwells in the forest. By the end, this mesmerizing work leaves us scrutinizing our own surroundings with fresh eyes. (CB)