← Back to Directory
Land of Legends
Movie

Land of Legends

2022 • Unknown

Woke Score
6
out of 10

Plot

The history of the confrontation between two worlds: the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the Ural Parma, the ancient Perm lands inhabited by pagans. Here heroes and ghosts, princes and shamans, Voguls and Muscovites will clash. At the center of the conflict of civilizations is the fate of the Russian prince Mikhail, who fell in love with the young Tiche, a witch-lamia capable of taking on the form of a lynx. Passion for the pagan and fidelity to forbidden love, a campaign against the Voguls, bloody battles and a short peace, the battle between Muscovy and Parma, the hero will face trials in which it is not so terrible to part with life as to commit treason.

Overall Series Review

Land of Legends (Heart of Parma) is a Russian historical fantasy epic centered on the clash between the Christian Grand Duchy of Moscow and the pagan Ural Parma. The narrative focuses on Prince Mikhail of Moscow, who must choose between his allegiance to the Grand Prince Ivan III, who seeks to aggressively overpower the region for a "uniform and strong state," and his forbidden love for Tiche, a pagan witch-lamia who is the living embodiment of the Parma people's main spiritual symbol, Sorni Nai. The plot positions the Muscovite force as the conquering aggressor and a symbol of unification that requires the betrayal of local loyalties and culture. The film is heavily steeped in themes of ethnic identity, with the non-Russian, pagan culture of Parma being the moral and spiritual heart of the story. The pagan shaman/witch heroine is a figure of immense spiritual and political power, acting as the catalyst for the prince's moral and political transformation. The core conflict is a test of the protagonist's fidelity to institutional, expanding Christianity versus his passion for the local, ancient, and pagan spiritual system.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics7/10

The central conflict pits the dominant ethnic-cultural identity (Muscovite/Russian) against the marginalized identity (Ural Parma/Vogul pagans). The protagonist's defining trial is whether to commit treason against his own people and their expanding empire to protect his ethnic 'other' wife and her local allies. The narrative structure makes the identity of the conquering force the source of oppression and the identity of the indigenous people the source of a forbidden, but morally compelling, loyalty.

Oikophobia8/10

The institutions of the protagonist's home culture, the Grand Duchy of Moscow, are depicted as a force of aggressive unification and imperial ambition, seeking to 'overpower' disparate peoples. The story romanticizes the 'other' culture of Ural Parma, which is aligned with nature, ancient spirits, and authentic, local heritage. The hero's moral arc requires him to reject the violent progress of his own civilization for the more spiritual and traditional path represented by the pagan land and its people.

Feminism6/10

The main female character, Tiche, is a powerful witch-lamia capable of shapeshifting and is the physical incarnation of the paramount pagan symbol, the Golden Woman. Her identity is not that of a simple love interest but a central, supernatural, and political/spiritual force that controls the fate of Parma. This makes her an immensely powerful, active figure who dictates the male hero's ultimate life choice, positioning her in a dominant spiritual and symbolic role.

LGBTQ+1/10

The narrative focuses exclusively on the historical and religious conflict between two civilizations and the forbidden heterosexual romance between the Prince and the pagan witch. There is no indication of themes related to centering alternative sexualities, deconstructing the nuclear family, or promoting modern gender ideology.

Anti-Theism9/10

The conflict is a direct confrontation between the institutional power of the expanding Christian state (Moscow) and the ancient, nature-based spirituality of the pagans (Parma). The Christian side is explicitly framed as the aggressive, conquering force that the hero must ultimately betray to maintain fidelity to his love and his local allies. Faith and virtue are found in the forbidden, pagan, and magical relationship, while the traditional, official religion of the Grand Prince is associated with imperial power and aggression.