Almost Holy, 2015.
Directed by Steve Hoover.
Starring Gennadiy Mokhnenko.
SYNOPSIS:
The real-life account of a Ukrainian Pastor and moral enforcer, Gennadiy Mokhnenko, who takes it upon himself to single-handedly rehabilitate child drug users in Mariupol where violence and poverty is rife.
Almost Holy is a documentary that follows Gennadiy Mokhnenko, who calls himself Pastor Crocodile after Cheburashka, the 60’s Russian animation film by Soviet writer Eduard Uspensky. Clips from the animation plays throughout Almost Holy as we follow Gennadiy backwards and forwards from the early 2000’s to 2014 in a time of political, societal and economic volatility and uncertainty in Ukraine, more specifically Mariupol – the tenth largest city.
Gennadiy is a mountain of a man. Strong-willed, passionate about the youth of his city and authoritative, he has decided to focus all of his powers into the rehabilitation of children affected by the symptoms of poverty, for the large part this is drug addiction. Almost Holy documents Gennadiy’s attempts at capturing children of all ages who are actively using hard drugs and providing a platform for rehabilitation in his ministries.
The film allows the audience to be given full access in the whole process of child rehabilitation and the measures that Gennadiy has to confront such as a lack of state action and drug laws, something which he actively campaigns against. Simultaneously, it also questions whether Gennadiy is right to deliver his own version of moralistic and ethical views as a Pastor, hence the title of the film.
Steve Hoover is building a reputation for thought-provoking and hard-hitting documentary films such as Blood Brother and Seven Days, and his latest release follows years of archived footage in a process which he described as harrowing in an interview with Brave New Hollywood. In the same interview he also discusses the political landscape at the time when he began collecting footage, something which he described as unavoidable in Ukraine. Whilst capturing footage in a pro-Russian rally in Mariupol, the crew and Hoover were assaulted and their van was destroyed, exemplifying the dangers and of a filmmaker’s craft in these types of films.
Almost Holy comes at a time that is entirely relevant for the audience in the development of Brexit. Gennadiy is vocal about his countries involvement in Europe and how it’s crucial that they remain united so future generations can prosper. We also see Gennadiy’s dismay when Russia invades Crimea and war is brought to the doorstep of Mariupol.
A special mention has to go to the cinematography of John Pope who captures the bleakness of Ukraine beautifully, along with the score by Atticus Ross which is subtle but wholly effective.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Sam Narr
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https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
