Black Mother Earth

Black Mother Earth is one of the most important and most awarded Croatian theatre productions in recent years. Based on the homonymous novel by Kristian Novak, it gives a glimpse of the Međimurje region at the end of the 20th century, with its rich mythology, kajkavian identity, numerous funerals, and personal and social transitions. However, all that is but an elaborate backdrop to the story it brings. The focus is on a search for the truth about the childhood of Matija Dolenčec, who refused to believe that his father was dead and who, through an intricate web of unfortunate circumstances, almost became the main culprit of events that completely isolated his home village in Međimurje from an already crumbling reality. With no facts to rely on, this play slowly untangles a story about a traumatic childhood that led to tragic consequences and then to an attempt at redemption. At the same time, it tells a story about an almost accidental friendship between two boys, Matija and Franjo, who seek to explain the world to one another in order to survive the frenzy of the times and tradition.