Customer Reviews

Ostrov (The Island), NTSC version with English subtitles

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Pavel Lungin's new Russian film OSTROV ("Island") has taken Russia by storm and made quite an impression at Sundance. Is this film about Orthodox Christian spirituality really worth the hype or is its appeal very limited.

Ostrov is worth every second of your time! It is beautiful, touching, and truly profound. The basic plot is about Anatoli, a young Russian boiler-stoker during WWII. Captured by the Nazis, he chooses the coward's route and shoots his Captain to save himself. The Nazis still bow up his barge and he washes ashore on a tiny island monastery in the Barents Sea. Thirty years later, he's Father Anatoli--and is he a madman-boiler stoker, or is a a near-Saint who can heal and who knows things?

Father Anatoli is still repenting, despite seeking God's infinite forgiveness, and this is the theological crux of the film: The free grace/cost-of-discipleship paradox. This spiritual conundrum is hardly unique to Orthodox Christianity! Pious Lutherans will recall Nazi-executed Minster/Theologian Deitrich Bonhoeffer's book, 'The Cost of Discipleship,' for instance.

Anatoli uses his gifts to be a Fool for Christ, who, through humility, can identify the prideful sins of others-- Father Job's vanity at book learning, Father Filaret's covetousness, etc. Although being a Fool for Christ is more understood in Orthodoxy, the concept exists in the west--witness "Blasillo el Bobo" in the classic Spanish novel 'San Manuel Bueno, Martir' by Unamuno.

The acting in Ostrov is superb, the casting subtle and sublime. The cinematography (wide-screen monochromatic)is stunning.

This is a must see for anyone interested in spirituality or repentance.

A final note-- in both message and deliberate pacing, OSTROV is a splendid reproach to our quick-fix society, and the spiritual quick-fix, as Father John the Hieromonk of St. Michael's Skete in Canones, NM points out in a recent article.

I just saw the film this evening and thoroughly enjoyed it although I would say it is definitely not for everyone. If you like films about Russians, spiritual themes, and bleak yet beautiful places then this movie is for you.

Interestingly I read several reviews on Google and they were all uniformly negative, a view with which I do not agree. I suspect the reviewers are fairly young as they didn't seem to understand that Anatoly actually does have clairvoyant powers in the film, or that there are actually people who would feel tremendous guilt if they had killed someone to save themselves. I found the lack of comprehension by U.S. reviewers of what this movie was about to be far more disturbing than any actual flaw in the film itself.

CD-Video PAL version from Kiev Monastery:

Every year I visit my in-laws in Ukraine. I don't know the Slavic languages but watch Russian & Ukrainian movies without English sub-titles & try to follow along. Knowing the basics of Eastern Orthodox monasticism & the historical influence of the Starets; a monk or lay person who by spiritual struggle united with God's grace can cure human physical & spiritual problems, watching the superb acting & story line, at first one may think that they may not need the English sub-titles to understand this movie. The movie is about the spiritual struggles of Anatoli, who in World War Two was captured by the Nazi navy during a coal barge delivery. Because he worked in the boiler room, his cough gave away his hiding place & with fear turned in his best friend & captain, who he may of mistakenly shot with a gun given by the Nazi captain. The Nazis leave & Anatoli thinks he is free but doesn't know of the TNT that the Nazi's had loaded aboard. The barge blows up & Anatoli is washed ashore by a small remote monastery, where the monks rescue him. 30 years later he is a semi-Staret or Fool for Christ, a person who acts out rather than speaks direct about people's problems. Many come to visit Anatoli because they have heard that God answers his prayers, but each day Anatoli rows out to a small island where he confesses his past sin against his friend & captain. Unknown to Anatoli an Admiral hears of a famous Staret & goes to the monastery to find a cure for his sick daughter. Can the Admiral set Anatoli free? Watch this profound & moving movie with or with-out the sub-titles. The Moscow Patriarch Alexy II said the movie was a "vivid example of an effort to take a Christian approach to culture."

DVD NTSC Version with English subtitles:

The DVD I bought though Amazon.com via the "options" which turned out to be a Russian supplier from Norway that shipped the DVD from New York. I got fast service & the DVD came within 3 days. The DVD is written totally in Russian with no written English translation & no inside cover book. I had to guess in the "Menu" section where the English sub-title switch was. In the main menu screen, go to the 2nd listing where you will find the audio sections. Enter in your audio section at the top of the screen, they are in English, then go to the bottom of the same screen, the English sub-title switch is the 2nd option.

Don't watch the previews which come with the DVD, most are about the Russian Mafia which is totally out of character with the movie.

Pro English Sub-Titles:

Okay I admit it, I did learn a few things with the English sub-titles. One part is where the main priest walks outside the coal heating room & looks in a big box & finds ropes inside. I now know why he was looking in it. I also didn't know the relationship between Anatoli & the Abbott was so close. A few other issues got cleared up with the English sub-titles. So much for my theory on Universal language :)

Con English Sub-Titles:

I do know a few Russian words & the English sub-titles were very Americanized. For example the 1st woman shown talking to Anatoli says something like "you are not a Staret" but the sub-tiles translate Staret as "Holy Man". A "Staret" will never think of himself as a "Holy Man" but a Sinner under God's grace. A better translation for "Staret" would be "Elder" or "Spiritual Director". Another example of a mis-translation is when the Abbott tells Anatoli he wants to "tonsure" him but in the Russian dialog the Abbott adds the word "Schema" which is a degree of monastism. You will never know what the Abbott is tonsuring Anatoli to, only that he wants to tonsure, which could mean "to make a monk". There are several other areas in the film which the English is not correct or clear. Therefore knowing a few basic Russian Orthodox words will add a layer of meaning to this fantastic movie.

Ostrov is a real life depiction of Orthodox Christian monasticism as lived during the Soviet period in Russia. The award winning movie has been a sensation among young people in Russia, causing many to make their first pilgrimage to an Orthodox monastery. The movie is a touching account of the spiritual struggles taking place in a remote monastery, and the ultimate triumph of one man trying to repent for his past. As an Orthodox monastic, I highly recommend this movie to anyone who is interested to learn more about the life of Orthodox Christian monks.

I was at first reluctant to watching this movie because of all the hype it receives in Russia currently. Boy, was I wrong! The film is simply brilliant. Don't even think of missing it! Everything is great about this movie. The story is really short to get you into the mood in the orgasmic kind of way, and it will keep you at the edge of your sit to the very last second.

Absolutely beautiful actors. The film is shot in beautiful widescreen - breathtaking cinematography. The only thing bad about this movie is that it is too short! Don't get me wrong, it is a full-length film, but it's ended just a couple of hours earlier than I expected :)

The movie is not just for movie buffs. It is definitely very artistic, but it is still for everybody. Just watch it! You will not regret it.

"Ostrov" ranks alongside Korean director Kim Ki-Duk's "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring" as an exquisite cinematic spiritual text. Both are two of the most visually beautiful films I've ever seen; both are thoughtful and sensitive explorations of spiritual journeys. Both leave the viewer--or at least this viewer--richer in experience and perhaps just a bit wiser.

Brother Anatoli, the protagonist in "Ostrov," lives in a monastery somewhere at the edge of the world on the North Sea. The colors in the film are nearly monochromatic: wintry whites, grays, and deep blues, with only an occasional flash of color, that encourage a feeling of stillness, quiet, solitude, and inward-turning. Anatoli is what is known in the Russian Orthodox tradition as a "holy fool," an individual so focused on God, so out of touch with the customs and conventions of the world, that he or she appears simple, touched, and sometimes downright mad. Anatoli lives as a hermit in the monastery, bunking down in the furnace house on a bed of hard coal instead of in a monk's cell. He eats sparingly. His clothes are ragged, his face is filthy. He speaks in riddles, sings nonsense songs, and infuriates the more prim and proper of his brother monks.

But underneath his foolishness is a deep spirituality born of immersion in the Orthodox Jesus Prayer, a mantra (usually "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me a sinner") that calms the mind and focuses it on God. Anatoli, without the slightest awareness of it, has over the years become a saint, a holy man. But he thinks of himself as a great sinner because of something that occurred in his youth. The lesson here is as obvious as it is scriptural: God will not reject a contrite and broken heart.

A film to be watched, meditated on, and (if one does such things) prayerfully celebrated. What a pity that it's not better known in the west.

I would like to recommend this film to anyone for outstanding imagery, acting and directing. Since socialism collapsed and a new wave of Russian films came out, it became a rear occasion to see a work of such high quality and culture. It holds a unique place and certainly belongs to the best movies ever made worldwide. The film shows reality where God is omnipresent, and people who are open to it and have established a connection with the Universe. They receive this gift not for being virtuous. Just like everybody else, the chosen people carry their own sins. The story of the film is about Anatoly, a holy man, living life of his repentance, prayer and service. Anatoly had committed a sin of betraying and shooting a man. During long years of repentance at a small monastery in the Northern part of Russia he gets the gift of clairvoyance and spiritual healing. His prayer acquires the power coming only with real faith (I would not confuse faith with church going - real faith is just as rear in church as it is anywhere else, however, a religious ritual can be very powerful when conducted by a believer). Those whom Anatoly answers are not always able to understand or appreciate it. God's ways often are incomprehensible to many. It usually takes time if ever for people to understand God's reasons. Even more difficult for our mind, brainwashed by logic, is to accept God's way and follow. Some western reviewers said that the personal story of Anatoly is not developed enough, and the character is too eccentric for a religious man. I believe it is so for those who had never met with such phenomena, never witnessed a holy man or woman who lost their personal history after receiving the gift, whose life became that of service ( God's gift often is a human burden), probably had no knowledge of "Yurodivy" and how eccentric that could be (and Anatoly is far from that). In my opinion, this film presented as "religious" or "mysterious" is neither of those. Everything I saw on screen I had witnessed in real life. And what is more important - the viewer does not just get to watch the story - the viewer becomes a witness and a participant of the most powerful and sacred experience - the prayer. Miraculously, the viewer's soul, if there is a grain of faith there, responds to Petr Mamonov's prayer and the gate opens.

Ostrov is a compelling film, one which captures the essence of Orthodox Christianity. For those not familiar with Orthdoxy, it is the traditional form of Christianity which predates Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. Most of the Christian world, including Western Europe, was Orthodox until the Roman Catholics split off from the Orthodox in 1054. It is the traditional religion of the Russians, Greeks, and many countries in Eastern Europe. In the story of a clairvoyant, miracle-working Russian monk living in a remote island monastery during the Communist era, Ostrov captures the authentic deep spirituality which characterizes Orthodoxy, especially as lived in the monastic life. A very powerful film, it is an antidote to the secularism, cynicism, and hopelessness which afflict so many in these modern days. Highly recommended.

I was prepared to be very impressed. I'd read several ecstatic reviews on-line, I'd heard great things from my friends at church about this film. When our parish priest decided to show the film in the church hall after Sat. eve. vespers, I was looking forward to a fine film. A fine film is quite an understatement. Ostrov (The Island) is incredible.
A number of other reviewers here have given excellent descriptions of the plot, theme and setting of Ostrov. I can only add this advice, please watch this film more than once. The depth of meaning, the layers of understanding to be had by watching, and watching again, all that is conveyed in this film is truly extraordinary.

I was sent this film by a fellow Orthodox Christian. It is about a "fool for Christ," someone who seems to be totally weird to everyone around him, but he is really deeply spiritual. Knowing something about Orthodox monastic life would help you to understand this film, but it is not necessary. The main character is seen in a flashback as a young sailor on a tugboat that is captured by Nazis in 1942, and then it moves forward 30 years to show this man living in a very bleak monastery in the Russian north. The people in the village across the river come to visit him, they see him as a "holy man," which causes some jealousy in the other monastics. They try to force their views on him to no avail. Their sins are shown quite clearly to them through their interactions with the "fool." His interactions with those from the outside are quite deep and meaningful, and perhaps shocking.

Father Anatoli recites Orthodox prayers and psalms throughout the movie, which made it all seem much more real to me. I was able to recite the prayers with him, to share in his worship, prayer, and anguish.

I was given a "cheat sheet" that showed me how to move through the set-up screens to get to the English sub-titles.