I am grateful to the person who uploaded this wonderful film to YouTube. I watched it a couple of nights ago after it appeared in the Recommendations section.This atmospheric, beautifully shot film opens with a badly injured man on horseback fleeing for his life. We learn from the film's prologue that we are in Ottoman ruled Greece in 1654. The unnamed man is a Janissary, a Greek Orthodox Christian child abducted by the Ottomans to fight in their Muslim army.The Janissary and his horse collapse from exhaustion outside a Convent where they are found by the nuns. Fearful of the man, they chain him up and attend to his wounds. They also dispose of the man's dead horse.The Mother Superior is very protective of a young nun named Anthi and does not want her to assist with caring for the Janissary. Pelagia, a nun with medical experience treats him but allows Anthi to sit with the man whenever she needs to take a break.It is clear that the quiet, shy Anthi is fascinated by the man and he seems to understand her innocence and fragility. He doesn't try to frighten her but he does ask her to help him escape. In the meantime, Pelagia has a sexual encounter with the Janissary.Anthi does eventually release the man and they both escape into a seemingly enchanted forest. Unlike his tryst with Pelagia, there is a deeper emotional connection between the man and Anthi. This eventually leads to a physical encounter which reveals Anthi to be a young man. The Mother Superior was the only person who knew Anthi's secret.Initially angry and repulsed by Anthi, the man develops a protective attitude towards her and realises that she was being protected by the Convent to prevent her abduction by the Ottomans. Anthi tells the man that she wants to be different and he tries to help her. Not long after this, they are both captured by Ottoman soldiers. The Convent pay the soldiers a ransom for Anthi's return but the Janissary is held captive by the Ottomans. We learn that the Janissary is a deserter from the Ottoman army. His captors tell him he is one of their best soldiers and they want him back. While he is held captive, he continues to think about his encounter with Anthi. Anthi manages to sneak out of the Convent and helps the man to kill his captors. Once again they escape to the forest and, for what is very probably the first time for both of them, they give in to their true nature. Initially brutal, it becomes a beautiful and powerful expression of love, longing and release.This film was an unexpected treat. Wonderful performances, sympathetic direction and stunning cinematography. The chemistry between the two leads is magnetic. However, Anthi was actually played by a woman rather than a man. I wonder if the chemistry/intimacy would have differed in any way had the two lead actors both been men rather than a man and a woman.

I loved that movie! Excellent performances! Very beautiful set! An Oscar movie in my opinion! The story in about a Greek monastery during the period of the Ottoman occupation of Greece in 17th century and it is about the quirky relationship between a nun and a ganissar ( elite infantry soldier that formed the Ottoman Sultan's household troops and bodyguards . Ganissars first began as an elite corps of slaves made up of kidnapped young Christian boys from all the Balkans and were given the choice to convert to Islam, and became famed for internal cohesion cemented by strict discipline and order)The location of the film is much challenging . The actors are great and the filmmakers succeed with minimal means to represent successfully the historical period. Remarkably, lyrical shots reveal the magnificence of nature and create a beautiful atmosphere. In "Black meadow" don't fit neither religions nor armies. Only rebellious souls returning to nature along with their wild instincts

A very beautiful film reminder of the classical "Black Narcissus" with an incredible photography of Marcus Waterloo and a haunting atmosphere. The double identities of the two protagonists is very well rendered and their desire to escape from the emotional prison that circumstances have thrown them into. The music and the sound track of night birds, wind and silence give the film an unusual texture. If it is a first film, it is very promising as the actor direction is excellent and effective, the choice of location and the erotic and religious feel that emanate from this film show that the director has a very good potential to make another work of art.