Synopsis
Playing with her friends in the snow during a regular school-day recess, ten-year-old Siolim is suddenly escorted to the Principal's office where she meets her Aunt Risa and learns about the tragic death of her young mother, Paraskevi, Risa's younger sister…
From that moment on we begin our story's shuffle between Siolim's current winter home life in Greece, and the memories of her recent summer annual holiday in Goa; a story that takes us on Siolim's journey to find inner peace.
We begin with a funeral meal, in Greece, where we meet Fr. Symeon, Risa's husband, offering the blessing and trying to comfort Siolim.
And then we shift to Goa, India, where we meet the rest of the cast: Paraskevi's best friend, Nataline, who owns the property they stay at; Motes, Nataline's boyfriend, who helps around the property; Salu, who also helps around the property; and Akash, a visitor to the property who eventually forms a loving bond with Paraskevi.
Back in the Greece, Siolim heads home from the meal and falls asleep. She wakes up in the middle of the night to a knock at the front door. We meet a tall, hurt, white-bellied sea eagle when Siolim opens the door. She takes the eagle in and begins nursing it back to health.
As the eagle follows Siolim around - is she the only one who sees the eagle? - to the cemetery, to Risa and Fr. Symeon's home, to Risa's workplace, in the car rides and eventually to the hospital, we learn about Risa's often difficult relationship with Paraskevi, we see the eagle gaining its strength back, and we watch Siolim getting closer to a decision to visit the woman who was involved in her mother's car accident.
While back in India, we learn more about Siolim's father, we witness the beautiful and adventurous relationship Siolim has with her mother, and we watch a new relationship grow between Paraskevi and Akash that will inevitably also get cut short.
From the cold and snow of Greece, to the warmth and sun of India, AND THE SNOW LAY AROUND introduces us to Eastern Orthodox and Hindu traditions, to family and friends dealing with loss in their own way, to unique locations past and present, and to a white-bellied sea eagle that nourishes Siolim's empty moments.
Through hymns and punk rock music, the bold colors of the Chakras and the soft tones of dialogue, we experience a universal story of loss told singularly through the experiences and memories of a ten-year-old girl coming to terms with sudden circumstances...and learning to let go…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhzL4xEZXZw