Rural Lessons (Sjelskie Uroki)

The foreign priest, who embodies the Western world, is causing unrest in the village. Mostly elderly women have suddenly taken an interest in religion and are studying the Bible diligently. The Finnish priest distributes food, conducts church services and performs baptisms. More and more Orthodox villagers are voicing their displeasure, and the community is on the verge of splitting. The young Russian director Alina Rudnitzkaja documented this growing tension over a period of months in her film Rural Lessons, which was produced in 2004 at the Documentary Film Studio in Saint Petersburg.