michalis wrote:
i also liked it.... some say this is a true story, but i am not sure.
It is a fictional story, but it is very authentic in its depiction. For anyone who wants to read about a real life person similar to Father Anatoly, read about Elder Paisios. I read about him in The Gurus, the Young Man, and Elder Paisios which is a very interesting (and true) book about a young man that is enticed very heavily by the devil and explores various eastern religions. Elder Paisios was an acquaintence of his, and very similar to the character of Father Anatoly.
I was blessed and watche Ostrov with my parent's church along with a visiting monk from The Hermitage of the Holy Cross; he was able to explain some of the nuances of the movie.
It is such a great movie, I truly believe that divine inspiration was at the heart of it all. Such a beautiful story.
To answer part of your question, John, I think Father Job desperately wanted to understand Father Anatoly, and did at the end. He carried Father Anatoly's cross, and I thought that scene was very moving. Poor guy, scratching the coffin with coal at the end!
