Journey of the Maggot Feeder 2015
Distributed by Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 50 Fitzroy St., London W1T 5BT =44 (0) 20 7387 0455
Produced by Estonia
Directed by Liivo Niglas, Priit Tender
DVD, color, 68 min.
General Adult
Animation, Anthropology, Fairy Tales, Folklore, Native Peoples, Storytelling
Date Entered: 01/04/2018
Reviewed by Brad Eden, Ph.D., Dean of Library Services, Valparaiso UniversityThis film is about an old Chukchi legend from the north-eastern corner of Siberia: The Maggot Feeder. It is a tale about a seal hunter and his wife who live next to the Bering Sea. The hunter plots to murder his wife because she cannot give him a child. He raises giant maggots to devour his wife, and builds a tower to house them. The film tries to take this horrific fairy tale and unearth some of the deeper cultural and psychological levels of the story, as well as taking the viewer into the Chukchi inner world. This film is rather strange from the Western Hemisphere perspective, and thus would be difficult to show in a college classroom without sufficient background regarding the folk tale itself, as well as pre-screening the film in order to be able to help direct discussion. The quality of direction and production leaves much to be desired, but the film might be of interest for classes in anthropology or folklore.