The Island (2006) Ostrov (Russian: Остров): 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. (7.7)
Director: Pavel Lungin
Writer: Dmitri Sobolev
Stars: Pyotr Mamonov, Viktor Sukhorukov and Dmitriy Dyuzhev
Language: Russian (w/ English subtitles)
This movie has that Russian-ness in trying to explore the inner demons in people's minds in isolated situations. According to the Wikipedia article about this movie, it also has a spiritual message. So, when I thought some scenes were hilarious, that was not the intent of the director, I suppose. Heh! Yes, it is full of Orthodox religious prayers and mutterings and that's probably why I really couldn't get into the mindset of the lead character. The acting by the lead was good. (Apparently, he converted to Orthodoxy and pretty much played himself; that's sad.) The scenery was beautiful. But for me, this movie didn't pull any heart-strings nor made me think too hard. My Rating: 6.5
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