Two children play on an island, in an open coastal landscape. The beauty of nature lies in their eyes, from the smallest spider to the biggest mountains. Everything is of equal importance to them.
They have a game they love to play; to search under stones, on the beach, in the mud and in the fields. They are looking for dead animals. Once they have collected enough animals, they take them to a self-made graveyard. Here, the children bury the animals, decorate the graves, sing songs, and recite poems. The ritual surrounding the burial involves not just the children. The vegetation, the sea and the birds all take part in the ceremony. The dead animals come alive again – they rise in the “Eternal hunting grounds.” The children’s imagination stretches as far as the horizon, they visualize how it is there. This vision is like a beautiful treasure inside of them. They love this game – it is both important and exciting.
The hunter also lives on the island. He has killed the animals that the children find. The hunter kills because he is hungry, or just because he likes to do it. He sometimes lets his victims lie to decay in open air. The children collect them and turn the hunter’s cruel actions into something good. One day the hunter shoots a heron. This bird is bigger and more beautiful than any other animal the children have found. This animated short film takes on the topic of children and nature, innocence, and truth. What lies in between?
