The film "Island" (2006) has become a unique visiting card of Orthodox cinema. This tape appealed to both believers and unbelievers. Indeed, judging by numerous reviews, the film "Island" by the actions and behavior of its main character, the elder Anatoly, gave each of the audience invaluable life lessons.
Orthodox films are currently being shot quite a lot. However, far from all the plots unfolding in monasteries and temples are interesting even to believers, not to mention a wide audience of viewers. However, judging by numerous reviews, the film "Island" deserves the closest attention. No wonder full cinemas gathered to watch it.
Producer
The painting "Island" was shot by Pavel Lungin. He is on the list of the most famous directors in Russia, whose work is well known to many foreign film critics. Moreover, despite the fact that the plot of the film "Island" tells us about the events that unfold in the Orthodox monastery, the experiences of the elder Anatoly, the main character of the film, are quite understandable to people of any faith.
Pavel Lungin in most of his works adheres to postmodern views. However, here the director of the film "Island" presented to the audience a tape, the creation of which radically diverges from all that he had done before. In this work, Pavel Lungin decided to reflect on how a person can come to faith. However, the director of the film "Island" does not speak about Orthodoxy at all as a preacher. He does not assume the role of illustrator of certain gospel stories. Lungin presents to the viewer his hero, comprehending wisdom not due to his well-read or everyday experience, but as a result of direct heavenly revelation.
According to the director, his film "Island" (2006) tells the story of God and sin, crime and shame. But besides this, he is also an attempt to tell people that being a man is painfully painful. And yet, how important it is to be! Lungin believes that his film in certain aspects is a kind of continuation of the film “Repentance”, shot by Tengiz Abduladze, as well as the film “The Killer” by Karen Shakhnazarov. However, his work is more chamber and more focused not on society as a whole, but on the individual.
Awards
To create the film "Island" Pavel Lungin took the script of Dmitry Sobolev. The work of this graduate of the VGIKovsk workshop attracted the director not only for his unusualness, but also for his depth and spirituality. The tape released on the screens was a great success and became a member of many film festivals.
Among the prizes and awards of the film "Island" are the following:
- Victory at the Moscow Premiere 2006 festival.
- Laureate of the film award "Golden Eagle 2006". Best feature film of 2006. Also, the tape received awards for Best Supporting Actor (it was played in the film "Island" by Viktor Sukhorukov), for Best Actor (this award was awarded to Peter Mamontov), ​​for best directing, as well as for the script and camera work.
- Applicant for the Oscar in 2006
- The highest grossing film of the festival "Youth 2006".
- The official film that opened the Kinotavr 2006 festival.
- The film that closed the Venice Festival in 2006
- The film, which opened the festival "Pokrov-2006".
On television, the film was shown on the Russia Channel in 2007 before Orthodox Christmas. Received a film and six awards "Nick". They noted the work of Pavel Lungin as the best film of the year. Also, the picture was awarded the prize for Best Actor, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Work of a Director, Cameraman and Sound Engineer.
The genre of the film "Island", the plot of which fits in 112 minutes of screen time, is a drama.
Cast
In their reviews, viewers note the magnificent game of the actors of the film "Island". The main role in this film went to Peter Mamonov. He played the elder Anatoly. This hero in his youth is Timothy Tribuntsev. Also took part in the filming of the film "Island" Dmitry Dyuzhev and Viktor Sukhorukov. These actors played the monk Job and father Filaret, respectively.
The role of Admiral Tikhon Petrovich went to Yuri Kuznetsov. In his youth, he was played by Alexei Zelensky. The director invited Victoria Isakova to the role of admiral Nastya’s daughter.
In the filming also participated:
- Nina Usatova - a widow who came to an old man.
- Olga Demidova - she played the role of a woman with a child.
- Grisha Stepunov - boy Vanya.
- Sergey Burunov - he played in the adjutant movie.
What is the movie about?
Judging by the reviews, the film "Island" tells the viewer an unusual and amazing story. The film takes us to an uninhabited island, which is located in the North of Russia. Here, among the cold waves of the White Sea, stands a small monastery. For over thirty years, the elder father Anatoly has been living in it, serving God.
The Lord endowed this man with a special gift. Father Anatoly has insight. He is well aware of what awaits in the future those people who turn to him. In addition, the monk’s prayers can heal a person from diseases. That is why they come to old man Anatoly for salvation from different parts of a vast country. A monk helps every person. However, he does this in an unusual way. In order not to be proud, the monk does not say that he is that old man to whom everyone is heading. He pretends to be his cell man. After listening to the request, he never tells the person everything directly, but leaves as if to consult with the old man.
In the film "Island" the viewer can see those miracles that come from the father of Anatoly. For example, he discourages a girl who came to a monk to take a blessing for an abortion, indicating that this would be a sin of infanticide. A widow suffering from grief, he gave hope, saying that her husband did not die at all in the war. He was captured and is in France. He prays for the health of the boy Vanya, who came to him on crutches. And a miracle happens. The boy begins to walk on his own. The possessed girl, the admiral’s daughter, he managed to get rid of a serious spiritual illness.
In the film "Island" the characters of two monks living in this monastery are revealed in detail. One of them is Father Job. This monk is very jealous of Anatolia and his ability to help people. Father Job is doing his best. However, the Lord does not accept his prayer.
Father Anatoly very carefully exposes Job in envy and malice. He does not say it in his eyes. Anatoly only asks Job why Cain committed a sin and killed Abel.
Another hero of the film "Island" - father Filaret. This abbot of the monastery is a very meek and very bright monk. His heart is filled with gratitude and love. Nevertheless, this monk has one sin. He has an attachment to two things. The first is comfortable leather boots, and the second is a soft blanket that was bought during a trip to Greece.
Once in a monastery there was a fire. The fire was partially destroyed by the priest's cell. That is why he had for some time to move to the old man Anatoly. He decided to save Father Filaret from two tormenting “demons”. Anatoly throws boots into the furnace, and the blanket into the deep sea. After such a trick, Father Filaret sincerely thanks the old man for lightening his soul.
Background
Sin also lies on the soul of the elder Anatoly. In those moments when no one sees him, he, crying, asks for repentance from God. What is his sin?
The viewer learns about this at the very beginning of the film "Island". The plot begins with a story about how in 1942, during the Great Patriotic War, a German ship located in the northern waters of the USSR captured a Soviet barge that transported coal. Her team consisted of two people. This is a fireman and skipper Tikhon. Both of them tried to hide from the Germans, buried in coal. The first enemies to find a stoker. The Nazis demanded to extradite their captain. After the beating, the stoker pointed to the place where Tikhon was hiding. The prisoners were put on board in order to shoot. The stoker at the same time began to sob and ask the Germans to save his life. Tikhon tried to stay perfectly calm and even began to smoke. Then the German officer offered the stoker in exchange for his life to shoot a comrade, giving him a pistol in which there was one cartridge. At the stoker hysteria began. Nevertheless, he shot at Tikhon, after which he fell overboard. The Germans did not kill the stoker. But they left him on the ship, which had been mined before. Soon the barge exploded. After some time, the monks on the shore picked up the almost lifeless body of the stoker.
After this, the plot takes us back to 1976. We see an already aged stoker who accepted monasticism and began to bear the name Anatoly. The main obedience for him is to work as a stoker. In the monastery he lives in a boiler room. Here he sleeps right on the coals.
Unexpected meeting
Bearing the burden of sin in his soul, the monk lived with him for more than thirty years. And despite his repentance and humility, the crime committed during the war haunts the old man. He often goes by boat to a secluded island, where he prays and repents before God of complete sin.
Once a prominent admiral came to the monastery. He brought his mentally ill daughter to the famous old man (she was played wonderfully in the film “Island” by Victoria Isakova). Father Anatoly takes the girl to the island. Here, in prayer, he casts out a demon from her. In the girl’s father, Anatoly recognized the very Tikhon whom he had shot in 1942. From the conversation it became clear that the stoker only wounded his captain in the arm, which allowed him to escape. At the same time, Tikhon explained that he had long ago forgiven his comrade.
After that, Anatoly decided that he could die peacefully. The elder asked Job's father to bring a simple coffin. He fulfilled the request, but did not understand why. Father Anatoly jokingly scolded Job for a sumptuous buffet. In an attempt to make amends, he began to rub the coffin with coal. Meanwhile, Father Anatoly lay in it. While in the tomb, he asked Job to go to the other monks and inform them of the death of the old man. Father Job ran to the bell tower and began to sound the bells. The film ends with shots in which the coffin with the body of Anatoly is taken by boat to the island where he went to pray.
Location
Where the film will be made was not immediately decided. The film crew had to visit the Pskov Lakes, Kizhi, Onega Lake, Ladoga and the Murmansk Region. However, the director did not like any of those monasteries that they saw in those places. After all, Lungin was looking for a small, half-abandoned monastery. Modern monasteries were huge cities, surrounded by very high walls. Nature was found only during the fifth expedition. It was the coast of the White Sea, the outskirts of the small village of Rabocheostrovsk in Karelia. The director liked everything here. This is a landscape, and natural scenery. There was a sea with islands scattered in its waters. On land, there were half-abandoned houses and far from a new navigation tower. The island in the film became a peninsula. It was separated from the mainland only by a small isthmus. The tower was turned into a bell tower. Barack, which did not even have a roof, became a church. The domes had to be built on this structure, its external walls were slightly patched up, and the internal ones were “sawed up” to form a single space.
The director tied the entire decoration of the monastery to a flooded wooden barge. Most likely, this ship has remained since when prisoners were brought here in the twenties of the last century.
Filming
In his interviews, Pavel Lungin said that the performer of the role of father Anatoly in the film "Island" Peter Mamonov for the most part played himself. Even before starting work in this picture, the actor received the blessing of his spiritual mentor. For consultations, along with the crew, a monk Kosma came from these places from the Donskoy Monastery. On the first day of work, he held a prayer service.
The shooting took place for a short time, because it was necessary to complete it until the White Sea was covered with ice. Near Rabocheostrovsk the film crew was from the beginning of October until the first days of December 2005. And only some scenes were shot near Dubna on the Volga. They were shot only at night so that the viewer did not understand that this was not a sea, but a river. Another scene in which Tikhon and his daughter Nastya ride a train is Moscow, Riga Station.
Spiritual film lessons
Father Anatoly is a collective character. Some of his actions were borrowed from the life of the famous Optina elders. The director showed a great man in his film. But why does he engage in constant self-flagellation, suffer torment of conscience and suffer?
Judging by the reviews of the film "Island", viewers in the father of Anatolia do not see a weak, weak-willed person at all. He only fully understands: having shot at a person, he committed a great sin. And not all people are capable of this. He should never have done so. But, having committed a sin, he remained forever guilty before the Higher powers, which are God and his own conscience. This is what does not give Father Anatoly peace. His incredible sufferings and experiences can be compared with the torments of Raskolnikov. Only faith in God saves him from complete despair. It was she who replaced for this person knowledge and position in society, life comfort and material wealth. He sleeps in a stoker on coal and eats simple food. All that is in his life and holds in it is faith. And the judgment of the Lord and his own conscience does not give him peace.
Judging by the reviews of the audience, this movie is able to change consciousness. The uniqueness of the film lies in its hero, capable of atonement and repentance. This image is undergoing significant evolution. From a weak man, a monk turns into a person with an unshakable spirit, able to heal and save the afflicted. And along with this, Father Anatoly saves himself.
Conclusion
The film "Island" provides the audience with invaluable spiritual lessons. He points out that God is all-merciful, that he is ready to forgive people their most serious sins. For this, a person needs only sincerely, with all his heart to repent. That is why each of us must strive for spirituality and morality, recognizing their value and importance.