just watch it!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Watched this film on a Russian DVD, which had just been released. Frankly, it came as a huge disappointment. Every time the director wants to make a point he uses a cliché. Makovetsky as a priest is laughable, and the whole film resembles a kind of parody because of that. I bet the director didn't want that to happen! Usatova as the priest's wife is brilliant, as she almost always is, but she can't save the film which is nothing short of a piece of straightforward religious propaganda. Enough to say that the film was made by the Orthodox Church film company. By the way, the prototype of the priest (who bore the same surname) didn't stay put when the Russians came but fled with the retreating Nazi troops. So much for the truth of life... The only positive Jew in the film is the converted Jewish girl. Well, what can we expect of an adaptation of a novel by an ultra- nationalist Russian writer - and, generally, of a film made by a church film company? Gazprom that subsidized the making of the film could have found a much better way of investing their money.

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.

Its a real creation of Art! Film impressed me a lot. I'm an actor and in 90% of films I see how good or bad was made editors work, I think about how bad or good was play of actors etc... When I watched this film I forget that picture on a screen is "just a play" - everything was More Real than ANY 3-d or "23-d"... In some moments I cry... I don't remember when I cry because of film... "Pop" is the one of the greatest films I ever seen...I can't believe that I communicated with the person which played Father Alexander... It's some magic when some (even a little bit, but familiar) person turns Role into Real Person! I know that Makovetsky is an actor but at this film he is more Real Priest than some Priests in Churches... Makovetsky is one of the Greatest actors today and may be here is the best his role... Soon I will watch this film again because it touches my heart...

After film viewing at a cinema I was overflowed with emotions. All film to me never was to be looked on hours, moreover — I did not want, that it is a fine film came to an end in general because all it — from the beginning and is up to the end thought over very well. All roles, at the highest level are played by talented actors. The scenario is written ideally.The idea of a film is very interesting. The film forces us to think about almost most Insufficiently studied a Great Patriotic War episode. He forces to reflect on those people who stayed under fascist occupation, for those who revived belief of these people in God or gave the chance to people to pray in the temples violently converted in clubs. Certainly, all this revival occurs against German occupation. It is impossible to tell that Germans promoted Orthodoxy revival, it was only the step that in case of successful capture of the earths of our Fatherland to seem to us not invaders, enemies, and deliverers from Bolshevist's the authorities. But, fortunately, at them it it has not turned out. I even think that war has a little helped Orthodoxy revival, but I do not try to protect aggressors at all.I was interested by one of film episodes when in a room where the father sits, the fly flies. As a whole about one half-minute on the screen we observe the world eyes of a fly. I wish to notice that it has not made any influence on a plot, the director has decided to show it simply so, underlining that the nature takes place to be even in such dramatic film. I am not going to spend analogies with any or films, but in November, 2009 I could look absolutely other on a genre a film «Ukroshchenie stroptivykh» where about one minute we saw the world eyes of a bee which too has not brought any contribution to an overall picture, but in particular the director and all its creation has been strongly enough scarified for this episode. Into this account I will tell the following: «the Person wishes to see nonsense of an episode in that film which about any to it was not pleasant to the reasons and consequently criticizes almost any episode of the film which has not pleasant to it».But I will return to this film. Sergey Makovetsky, has served its purpose simply irreproachably, perfectly well, with full self-return. It so has reincarnated in a role of the cleric that if I did not know it as actor earlier, I would think that in a film have invited to act in film the present father. Other actors, which surnames, I think, it is not necessary to sound also were on the ball.Such films as "Pop" are postponed in heart for ever. Having looked such cinema, cinema let out by our Fatherland about ours, the Russian history, it would be desirable to be proud of the Native land even more, than was proud earlier.