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Living among evil and remaining a human being , a priest who follows Christ with his own life. This movie is underrated. War movies deliver a very important message to all viewers, that history repeat itself and everyone should be ready to stop the war wherever you can.

Our grandfather's always wished for one thing " let there be no war " do you understand no war is all we need.

Best quality of a human being like self sacrifice shines through in those ones who follow Christ with their life.

History of conflict is a concentrated time when one day may contain same amount of happenings as in a whole life of normal living.

The work of a supporting actress is a best I've seen.

"The Priest" deals with a fascinating piece of history from World War II. The Orthodox Church sends missionaries to the Russian countryside in order to enable a spiritual awakening among the common people, whose faith cooled under the skeptic Soviet regime. As the German invasion progress and the villages fall under enemy control, however, these missionaries reach a stalemate. Should they collaborate with the Germans, who promise freedom to preach and collect countless triumphs in the battlefield? Or should they resist the foreign invasion, therefore siding with the communists, who not long ago nearly destroyed the Orthodox cult?

Numerous plot possibilities arise from this dangerous puzzle. The director Vladimir Khotinenko chose a good one. He present us the kind Father Alexander, assigned to a mission in the Zakaty village, close to Pskov. The village is under German administration and Father Alexander holds his rituals regularly. His rights are guaranteed by Ivan Fyodorovich, a Russian-born Wehrmacht officer. The German brutality, however, increasingly bothers Father Alexander. POWs are mistreated, ruthless public executions take place right in front of Alexander's church, the local fascist militia carries out degenerate actions.

Eventually, Stalin manages to turn the tide of the war. Ivan Fyodorovich's prophetic words from the early scenes assume dreadful shape: "If it weren't for this war, every single church would be torn down by the Soviets... together with you." Father Alexander is now stuck in a no-win situation, threatened by communist retaliations and abandoned by his peers, for the Orthodox Church officially endorsed the Soviet cause in 1943. Indeed, we have a good plot. It amazes me in every way.

"The Priest", however, somehow loses all its grace. I felt tired while watching it. I found it dull and amateur. It looked like a poor quality flick from the 90s, to be fair. Obsolete camera techniques and editing tools ruined the experience. Who told Khotinenko random slow motion frames would look cool? I generally don't pay much attention to image details, but the issues here are glaring.

Moreover, the soundtrack is manipulative, repetitive and unoriginal. The scenes supposed to be transcendental and sacred, supposed to inspire religious fervor, look ridiculous thanks to the score and the filming. Lastly, the supporting actors are not really talented. They were unconvincing and unnatural in most situations. On the other side, the actors playing Father Alexander, his wife Aletvina and the Wehrmacht officer have done a wonderful job. But in no way they could save this film, not at all.

"The Priest" is a clear waste of potential. Such captivating background story deserves a serious approach from a competent director. I hope something good comes out soon.

Beautiful. Powerful. And cold. Delicate and sad. A testimony about a time, few people and definition of faith. Gray shadows and gorgeous lights. A priest and a village. The presence of God as song of soul. Words and looks. And courage to be yourself. A film like a ice flower, small, in facts but awful remember. The father Alexander may be any priest in Gulag. Every man for who the values are more than letters on a paper. Must see to understand a Russia. And for discover a strange science to say the truth, to kill the evil, to be more shadow in a crazy era. A film about life and its little pieces. A movie about love and pray in the childhood nuances. A confession of an old monk. In the skin of a smile. The man and his existence. The ladder. The fight.

The events are tragic for all - people in dire need of spiritual support and priests striving to serve, but under very difficult circumstances. It is the increasing resistance not only from population, but even Soviet solders tasked with rounding up supposed collaborators in cassocks, that forced Stalin to reverse early policies on religious intolerance. The story of the church on occupied territories was not taught neither in academia (even when majoring in history) nor seminaries until 1991. Materials were accessible only to those doing actual research on related topics under specially granted security clearances.

"The Priest"/Поп joins several recent Russian entries (including "Punishment Batallion"/Штрафбат and two or three of the set-pieces within Sergei Mikhalkov's ponderous "Burnt by the Sun- 2"/ Утомленные солцем- 2) as part of a de facto common effort to rescue post-Soviet cinema from the stereotypes, fables and large-scale falsification that the Soviet movie industry was largely confined to for most of the period covering 1942-91-- and managed to pass along, if only as a mindset, to many in the succeeding Russian industry and general public after the Soviet Union finally went out of business (not a moment too soon).

For every rare kernel of truth-- and there were indeed a few in "Ballada of a Soldier"/ Баллада о солдате and "Come and See"/ Иди и смотри, for example-- there were 20 (or 200 or 2000) Big Lie whoppers planted within the waves of propaganda films masquerading as cinema (and not very well) that Soviet audiences were subjected to for half a century. Setting all this aside has not, of course, been easy-- particularly when you have figures like the mayor of Moscow adamantly insisting that Stalin should be honored as part of the nation's celebration of the 65th anniversary of victory in the war. Yikes.

"The Priest" profits enormously from Sergei Makovetsky in the lead, an actor whose range is among the broadest in the profession (Evgenii Mironov is his principal competition). The film is less plot-driven than episodic-- which is as it should be, since its premise is a plot unto itself: a Russian Orthodox priest functions under German occupation on territory that has changed hands multiple times over a single generation. Whom to serve and how are all the "plot" necessary; and the answers on offer are not pat.

Russian viewers have taken home much that is new to them from this film, and non-Russian audiences, even those unfamiliar with the contested history of the region, will likewise find considerable food for thought here. Briefly put, "The Priest" will reward different audiences on many levels, and deserves wide distribution outside (current) Russian borders. Highly recommended.