Somewhere in Northern Russia in a small Russian Orthodox monastery lives an unusual man whose bizarre conduct confuses his fellow monks, while others who visit the island believe that the man has the power to heal, exorcise demons and foretell the future.
Acting
Pyotr Mamonov's unhinged, lived-in madness
Direction
Lungin's patient, spiritually disquieting framing
Production
Bleak island isolation as moral pressure cooker
Director
Pavel Lungin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Pyotr Mamonov was a legendary Russian rock musician who became deeply religious; this was his first major film role after conversion.
The 'yurodivy' or holy fool is a specifically Russian Orthodox tradition where madness is interpreted as divine wisdom—Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev touches the same archetype.
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