Under the Lilac Tree
A small town somewhere in Central Serbia. A sleepy residential area on a warm spring afternoon. Camera moves slowly above the red roofs and treetops, then descends. This is the house. There is a garden behind it. It is a tiny garden, but full of vibrant colours and sweet smells. All sorts of flowers grow here in wild abandon - rosebushes, hydrangeas, acacias and hyacinths. There is a tall blue lilac tree in the corner. A little girl is lying in a hammock under the tree. The sweet smell of the flowers is making her dizzy and sleepy. Somewhere behind her water is running. She has a book of fairy-tales open on her lap. She has just finished a story about an enchanted forest, full of dangerous creatures and talking animals. It was a good story and the girl lies there picturing the forest in her mind. Slowly, her eyes close. The scene fades.
The garden scene is just a prologue. Whatever happens when the girl dreams is her real life. She never knows what it is going to be, but it is good not to know. The garden is an anchor, a place on the map where the girl can return when the dream is over. The smell of the lilac is there to guide her back should she get lost on the road. If things get too exciting, which they sometimes do, the gentle rocking of the hammock will remind her how easy it is to wake up. She just needs to open her eyes and there she is. She can even get up and walk around a little, talk to her family, eat something. She can pretend she belongs here. She never stays too long, though. Sometimes she dreams with her eyes open and no one notices she is gone.
.jpg)
