The action in the film "Jad" ("Misery") is set in the Balkans, at the end of the XI century. Based on Biblical motives, the film talks about the spiritual resistance of the Slavic population against the Byzantine rule and the Christian dogma, shown through the rich folk tradition of medieval rites and customs and the spread of the Bogomil movement. The film follows the fate of the family of Abraham (Avram) as a symbol of the human endurance amid the relentless fate of the Balkans.
What Cenevski as a film director always did well - as a result of his unique and unquestionable sensibility - was to skillfully and poignantly capture the inner, immanent framing of the film image and mastering the art of refined treatment of other film elements - whether these portray brutal violence or ideological clashes. After all - cruelty, despair, restlessness, anger, etc. - in Cenevski's films always manage to appropriate a deep inner balance, in that, when watching the film, these are not always necessarily associated with horror; they rather speak to life itself, in all its fullness. Never literally or too obviously, but in an artistically layered and profound way, he manages to open up a space for the triumph of human freedom and true human values. For Cenevski, the magnitude of such filmmaking did not result in unnecessary hyper-productivity; on the contrary, it resulted in a deep reflection over each of his film projects, which were always eagerly anticipated by film critics and audiences. Today, Cenevski's film achievements - restored and digitized - are awaiting new viewings, as well as new interpretations. Macedonians can find the power to overcome the doubts and dilemmas over their identity in every work of Kiril Cenevski. After all, is there a greater confirmation than this, for an artist and his work?
