Orik Hill

Description

In the dead of winter, two young people, used to the struggle of village life, are selected to become servants of a charismatic, benevolent emperor. Issha and Tanu love their new life, how well they're suddenly treated and their new palatial home in the city of Orik. Because the emperor loves travelling through his lands his new servants get to experience a variety of interesting cultures. Their lives are busy, hard work and never boring.

Then one day as she is returns from a fabric market to the palace Issha meets a mysterious, sun-beaten, growling, old man named Anapana on the hill overlooking Orik. He calls into doubt the benevolence of her master and claims that the dead trees on Orik Hill will soon have great significance to her and her fellow-servant Tanu.

That night both Issha and Tanu have nightmares concerning their master and in the morning share their terrible tales with each other. Something horrible is happening to them. Their hands are poisoned. They rush up Orik Hill where they are once again confronted by Anapana. Standing on Tanu's shoulders Issha reaches up and picks a piece of fruit from a tree. She takes a bite and...

Biblical Connection

Orik Hill is a beat-for-beat subversion of Genesis 2 & 3. The story parades as a retelling of the fall of man and woman when it is in fact a vision of human rejection of the devil and an embrace of Jesus's sacrifice. Until we see the Eucharist through alien eyes its inherent weirdness and beauty and grandeur can be easily lost. The twist in Orik Hill is held back until the final scene. At the end of the story the viewer will be able to think back through the film and see the various clues to the true identity and motives of the characters.