''The Priest'' (russian: Поп, Pop) is a 2009 Russian drama film directed by

Vladimir Khotinenko Vladimir Ivanovich Khotinenko (russian: Владимир Иванович Хотиненко; born 20 January 1952 in Slavgorod, Altai Krai, Soviet Union) is a Russian actor, film director and designer. Biography Born in the Altai Krai, Russian S ...

Plot

The film begins in June 1941 in the backwater Russian village of Tikhoye in Soviet Latvia. Priest Alexander carries out the duties of his ministry, helped by his wife, Alevtina. Two days later, German troops occupy the village. As part of an effort to gain the local villagers' favor, the German occupiers are keen to reopen the

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

churches that had been closed by the Soviet authorities. Alexander is offered a position at the

Pskov Orthodox Mission Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, ...

( :ru:Псковская православная миссия) to the

Pskov oblast Pskov Oblast (russian: Пско́вская о́бласть, ') is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the west of the country. Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, ...

. An Orthodox church building in the village of Zakaty, confiscated and turned by the previous Soviet authorities into a hall for film showings and the like, is restored to its former use, with the church bell rescued from the lake. However, life under the Nazis is ambiguous and the priest must walk a tightrope (metaphorically) between faithful Christian service and loyalty to his country and people. A poignant scene is the

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

service, celebrated along with

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

POWs surrounded by German guards. Alexander and Alevtina also secretly harbour

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

orphans. Alevtina falls ill from contact with the POWs and puts the children first by losing herself in a snowstorm lest she infect the orphans. The film concludes with the Soviets back in power in the region and the priest subsequently imprisoned by the

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union. ...

collaboration Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. Most ...

charges. The epilogue shows the priest decades later, visited by the orphans he saved many years before.

Cast

Sergei Makovetsky Sergei Vasilievich Makovetsky (russian: Серге́й Васи́льевич Макове́цкий, born 13 June 1958) is a Soviet and Ukrainian-born Russian film and stage actor. Filmography Film *1982: ''To take live!'' *1983: ''Ekipazh ma ...

as priest Aleksandr Ionin *

Nina Usatova Nina Nikolayevna Usatova (russian: Ни́на Никола́евна Уса́това; born October 1, 1951, Altai Krai) is a Soviet and Russian film and stage actress. People's Artist of Russia (1994). Biography She graduated from high school ...

as ''matushka'' (priest's wife) Alevtina * Liza Arzamasova as Eva * Kirill Pletnyov as Aleksandr Lugotintsev * Yuri Tsurilo as Metropolitan Sergius

Release

The film fell through at a rental cost of $6.8 million in production costs in all countries of hire amounted to only $1.7 million.10 самых громких провалов в истории российского кино
forbes.ru

References

External links

* 2009 films 2000s war drama films Russian war drama films Russian historical drama films Films set in the Soviet Union Films set in Latvia Films set in 1941 Films directed by Vladimir Khotinenko Eastern Front of World War II films 2009 drama films Films about Orthodoxy Russian World War II films {{Russia-film-stub