Panihida

In a small village in Moldova, an old woman dies, leaving her son Petru and her granddaughter Anişoara behind. According to their tradition, the whole village mourns and bids farewell. Everybody comes together at the house of the dead at night for the death watch, while a storm blows fiercely outside. The women sing and pray at the open coffin. Petru and the men drink and philosophize about the life. They are observed by curious Anisoara until she falls asleep, the storm calms down and the morning sun rises.
On the coming day, everybody starts the way to the cemetery. The old men carry the heavy coffin over stony paths up to the sacred hill. The sun is high and the way seems endless. But against the thirst there is wine and against the grief there is singing and together even the most difficult path can be overcome. In this landscape of paradisiacal beauty, joy mixes with sorrow on the final journey and in the end, life stands above death.