THE VANQUISHING OF THE WITCH BABA YAGA American Independents

Jessica Oreck’s stunning essay film finds a fertile metaphor for Eastern Europe’s changing relationship with the natural world in the Slavic folktale of forest-dwelling witch Baba Yaga. Oreck shifts between a haunting, animated retelling of the legend (gorgeously illustrated by Devin Debrolowski and Arik Roper) and vivid modern-day footage of the Eastern European landscape and its people. War, famine and environmental disaster have pushed the population to seek shelter, nourishment and safety from the woodlands once imagined to be dangerous and sinister – a negative image strengthened throughout the generations by harrowing tales like that of Baba Yaga. But just as that villainous character could also provide unexpected protection and reward to travelers, so too does Oreck find a fascinating duality of positive and negative traits in her examination of man’s relationship with nature, aided by stark imagery and a voiceover narration composed of thought-provoking philosophical texts.