I was moved by this film. The film does a good job at showing the two types of churches in perestroika (reconstruction era) of Russia. Some Russians didn't want trouble with the government and worshipped the way the government saw fit. Other Christians believed that the athiestic soviet government was not going to orchestrate how they worshipped. They took a stand and were persecuted for it.
I put some research into the making of this movie because the quality looks too good for a low budget Chritian film. It turns out that the movie was made by Unusual Studios at Bob Jones University. Many people from the university pitched in to help the studio develop a well made Christian movie.
The crew traveled to Russia just before the fall of the Soviet Union to research the film. They then shot scenes in Wisconsin to make the film look as Russian as possible. Interior scenes were shot at the studio, and great efforts were made for authenticity. This was a university led project as all the set helpers and crew members were from the university. The lead actors had experience as speech or theater faculty at the university. All the research I made can be found online at the BJU archives online or at the Greenville, SC library.
I would encourage to give the film a chance. I was hooked by the plot, and the story was full of emotion and heart. I enjoyed it very much.
