The Last Truly Pagan People of Europe
The Finno-Ugric population of Mari living in the autonomous republic of the Russian Federation, Mari El, located along the Volga River, has persistently and stubbornly resisted centuries-long attempts at Russification, Christianization, and persecution. Aleksey Fedorchenko, through the erotic-documentary film Celestial Wives of the Meadow Mari (Meadow-Mari: Олык марий пылвомыш вате-влак), pays tribute to their odd customs and unfamiliar traditions. Traditions that, despite the evident influences of Orthodox Christianity and the overpowering Russian imperialism, remain full of vibrant and colorful pagan traditions, rituals, and magic. This 2012 Russian production in an unconventional and humorous way tells the stories of 22 women, representatives of "the last truly pagan people of Europe," as this group was called by Daniel Kalder. The world of the Mari people depicted in the film is filled with mysticism, charm, and rustic simplicity, where the line between what is normal and what is supernatural is imperceptible; the idea of drawing such a boundary seems almost criminal. Nature plays the central role in their beliefs, around which the lives of the inhabitants of small villages revolve. Fedorchenko sanctifies this sacred connection through his choice of settings — the stories of the Mari women, whose names all begin with the letter "O," unfold throughout the seasons, from the life-giving spring to the harsh, snowy winter.
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Mosaic of Emotions
The director focuses primarily on female eroticism — men play important roles in the film but are somewhat in the background, giving precedence to the Mari women. They become tools in the women’s interaction with the spiritual and supernatural realms.
The celestial wives are energetic and often dominant. Fedorchenko portrays their bodies and sexuality in a way that is both ambiguous and subtle, leaving much room for the viewer's imagination. Despite the clear, direct shots of naked female bodies, many aspects of the Mari women's lives remain a mystery. Their ways may be unsettling or difficult to accept, but their authenticity, filled with intense emotions, undeniably takes center stage. Through carefully chosen frames and a narrative divided into several short novellas, the film builds a mosaic of emotions, ranging from joy and innocence to sorrow, grief, jealousy, lies, fear, and uncertainty. The Mari women long to be loved, desired, appreciated, and adored, and the viewer is drawn into their world, having no choice but to submit to these desires and fulfill them along with the Meadow Mari men.
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Husband's Crotch
Our curiosity is being gently stimulated from the very first scenes by the intertwining threads of nature and unobtrusive physicality. Mother Nature is actually one of the main characters here - a goddess who greedily demands a sacrifice, spits dead people out of her womb, and gives birth to demons. The sacred birch sends a serious illness as a punishment for the impure act of defiling its sacrum by having sex on a swing attached to the branch of the sacred tree.
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Continue reading in Premium and discover more descriptions of striking scenes and stories from the film, like the encounter of a Mari woman with a demonic figure, similarities in erotic themes Mario Bava's Black Sunday and Robert Egger's The Witch, additional images and more...!!
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