TRF Men ENPRO

Genre: Documentary
Format: PAL / SECAM, DV-Cam, DV-Avi
Runtime: 26:21 min
Languages: RU (orig.), EN, DE
Trailers: 1:38 (EN); 4:53 (EN)

Topic: “The word of God is not bound.” [2 Timothy, 2:9]. Saint Paul’s words fit the image of Fr. Aleksandr Men perfectly. This man possessed a vast store of inner freedom, despite the lack of outer freedom in the totalitarian state in which he was born in and lived. What bothered more, Fr. Aleksandr Men instilled this inner freedom in everybody he met. So, he was considered a primary danger by the regime. Considered one of the most dangerous priests by the KGB, the Perestroika saved him for prison… unknown murderers put an end to his free voice in the ‘90s, but not to his fame. As a matter of fact, the thirst for true freedom transcends borders of state, nation and time – even now, his books are published around the globe in print runs of many thousands.

Plot: The unexpected murder of the Orthodox priest Fr. Aleksandr Men in 1990 is the portal through which the spectator is introduced into our story about this outstanding character. Although it is not a biographical work, the film tries to draw a sketch of the spiritual and human mindset of this priest who sollicitated so much controversial opinions, both in the Catholic and in the Orthodox Church. Many original recordings of Aleksandr Men, spread throughout the entire movie help to familiarize the spectator with his character and thinking, and with his pastoral concerns. The recurring theme of the train reflects on the one hand the transience of our earthly life, on the other hand it shows the daily reality of Aleksandr Men who spent the most time of his daily work on these commuter trains and wrote most of his books there. Across the movie quotations from Father Aleksandr's biblical dictionary were used, explaining the terms "Confession", "Love", "Temptation", "Eucharist", and "Death". Since in the Orthodox Church there exist many voices who would like Aleksandr Men to be proclaimed a saint martyr, deacon Andrey Kurayev, a known commentator, explains in his interview the three main conditions in which the Orthodox Church is able to confirm the martyrdom of a person. Short interviews with people who knew personally Fr. Aleksandr give further insight into his life by the way of short anecdotes and memories.

Artistic Considerations: The use of many inteviews and personal statements combined with private amateur shootings of Fr. Aleksandr Men give the film a very personal note, an eulogy which allows the spectator not only to know about, but also to feel the emotional and spiritual strength of this great mind of the 20th century. The choice of music helps to remain in the memorial character intended by the author.