Goddess – the Path of Fate: A dance in the rhythm of nature

"The paths of fate are like branches in the crown of a tree. Sometimes they intertwine, sometimes they pass each other completely, or they grow side by side for many years, almost coming together." – Those are the introductory words for the movement-dance short film, directed by Dominika Prášková, a graduate from JAMU.

Sometimes you don’t need words to tell a story. We, people, are used to talking, so we easily forget that a thought can also be expressed in a different medium. Here we encounter a silent film, where movementand facial expressions speak instead of words. The story is told by dance, which builds on Slavic tradition and works with the details of eye contact and facial expressions. I was surprised by how it worked – just by looking into the character’s eyes, the viewer knows exactly what is being said. A single expression on the face says more than a thousand words. Another indispensable narrator is the music, which has a pagan character at times. It underlines the dynamics of the plot, from slow tones of love to furious melodies expressing anger and chaos. 

The film forces the viewer to perceive the plot differently than they are used to doing. It requires focused attention to detail and does not make the path to understanding easier, since no explanatory words are offered. 

The overall experience is enhanced by the beautiful scenery of the Czech forests, which reminds us that beauty lies in simplicity. We often forget what gems we have just a few minutes from our homes. Nothing complicated, just ordinary forests, treetops, soft moss, and mountains. These visuals are from the Rudice Sinkhole and the surrounding area of the Moravian Karst, where the film was shot. 

The film confirms in every way that there is beauty in simplicity. It is set in the past, when people lived in close contact with nature, when humanity did not yet desire to conquer nature, but to be a part of it. It tells of love and irreversible fate: of female togetherness and passion. But at the same time, there is human jealousy, conflict, and the desperate actions of man in his primeval form.  

However, the question remains: Who is the Goddess? Is she a real figure or just a mythical being? Can she really reverse our fate, or does she remain just a silent observer? Is our path really predetermined, or are we the masters of our own happiness?