Earth and Water

In the unruly North of Greece, close to the border with the even more unruly Balkans, there are great contrasts in everyday life. The city is far away and life is hard and pure. People still live close to the elements. Alongside earth and water there is also all-consuming fire. The film could have been called hate and love, because these emotions are still lived to the limit in this god-forsaken area. Nicolas is a young illiterate shepherd in the wilds of Macedonia. A sensual youth who plays the lyre during Dionysian rites when they walk over burning coals. He has an almost animal relationship with Constantina, a girl whose family is too good for him. All they share is physical love. When she leaves him, forced to by her family, he flees the blood feud of her brother to the city, the big bad city, that will corrupt this pure shepherd boy. He becomes involved with the female slave trade and in this way meets Elena, who is on her way from Russia to Canada. She is fragile and vulnerable, but very determined and armed with a great survival instinct. Then Nicolas and Constantina meet again. But nothing is the way it once was. Constantina is changed by city life. It looks briefly as if the flame of affection could be rekindled, but then it becomes apparent that water and earth have lost their purity.