TRF Father and Son ENPRO

Genre: Documentary
Format: PAL / SECAM, DV-Cam, DV-Avi
Runtime: 26:15 min
Languages: RU (orig.), EN
Trailers: 1:36; 3:45

Topic: It’s a story of two outstanding persons: Aleksey and Sergey Mechyovs. Fr.Aleksey was the arch-priest of the St. Nicholas Church at Maroseika Street in Moscow, later venerated as a saint by the Orthodox Church. His son Sergey became a hieromartyr, was preacher, pastor and a bright landmark for many Russian Christians in the years of obscure unbelief and the pitch-dark fall of the spirit.

Plot: The festivities at the canonization of Aleksey Mechyov make the entrance portal to this biographical film. Aleskey was born in 1859, when Filaret was Metropolitan of Moscow. He and his son Sergey experienced the great turmoil during the times of Bismark, Wilhelm II, Lenin and Stalin, Mussolini and Hitler. As his wife dies, Aleksey wants to retreat into seclusion, but after a meeting with St. John of Kronstadt his entire life is turned around. When life's previous foundations came crumbling down during the political changes in the country he became an anchor for many that where lost in these tides. Although he always wished his son to become a priest, he did not press on him, since he wanted his decision to be free and independent. Sergey first wanted to study to become a medical doctor, but soon recognized that this was not his road and changed to literature. Later he participated in the war as a medical aid on the front line. Finally he became a priest in 1919. When he travelled abroad to Rome, he remained in contact with his father through letters, of which some are quoted in the film. Aleksey refused to flee the church persecution in Russia but saw it rather as a kind of punishment given by the Lord for the sins of men. Patriarch Tikhon came to Aleksey to seek his advice and help him to unite Moscow's priesthood who was in disagreement about the behavior of the Orthodox Church in front of the Bolsheviks’ revolution. In 1922, short time before his death, Aleksey was called for interrogation which turned out to become a sermon for the interrogators. Several weeks later Sergey was arrested and imprisoned, and then later condemned to 5 years in a prison camp. He kept in contact with his parishioners through letters thus guiding them on their spiritual path. Toward the end of his life Sergey received the gift of insight into the human souls. Very few is known about his final days, only short time ago it was found out that he was shot outside Yaroslavl. Testimonies of people who participated at the transfer of the relics of Fr. Aleksey show us that the veneration of Aleksey and Sergey is very strong in Moscow up to now.

Artistic Considerations: Rich Russian iconography, photographs of the various periods and contemporary shoots, quotations from letters of the two protagonists and live interviews with people related to them round up the picture of the biographies of these two saints, father and son, both priests in the same church at Moscow. The suggestive analogy to the story of Abraham and Isaac gives this film a very special emotional touch.