doesn't regard him as being clever or spiritual, but blessed "in the sense that he is an exposed nerve, which connects to the pains of this world. His absolute power is a reaction to the pain of those people who come to it;" while "typically, when the miracle happens, the lay people asking for a miracle are always dissatisfied" because "the world does not tolerate domestic miracles." Screenwriter Dmitry Sobolev further explains: "When a person asks God for something, he is often wrong because God has a better understanding of what a person needs at that moment." Pyotr Mamonov, who plays the lead character, formerly one of the few rock musicians in the USSR, converted to Eastern Orthodoxy in the 1990s and lived in an isolated village until his death in 2021. Pavel Lungin said about him that "to a large extent, he played himself." Mamonov received a blessing from his confessor for playing the character. The former Patriarch of Moscow, Alexei II (who held the office from 1990-2008), praised Ostrov for its profound depiction of faith and monastic life, calling it a "vivid example of an effort to take a Christian approach to culture." Cast Pyotr Mamonov as father Anatoly Viktor Sukhorukov as father Filaret Dmitri Dyuzhev as father Iov (Job) Yuriy Kuznetsov as Tikhon Viktoriya Isakova as Nastya Nina Usatova as widow Jana Esipovich as young woman Olga Demidova as woman with child Timofei Tribuntzev as young Anatoly Aleksei Zelensky as young Tikhon Grisha Stepunov as child Sergei Burunov as adjutant Crew Writer: Dmitry Sobolev Director: Pavel Lungin Producers: Pavel Lungin — main producer Sergei Shumakov — main producer Olga Vasilieva — producer Stage-manager: Andrei Zhegalov Artistic Directors: Igor Kotsarev Alexander Tolkachev Composer: Vladimir Martynov Sound: Stefan Albine Vladimir Litrovnik Montage: Albina Antipenko Costumes: Ekaterina Dyminskaya Critical reception On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 63% based on 19 reviews, and an average rating of 5.8/10. Derek Adams of Time Out described the film as "both heartfelt and ultimately optimistic" in a generally positive review. Wesley Morris, writing for The Boston Globe, gave the film 2 and a half stars, called the film "an aggravating combination of piousness, arty self-pity, and knowing silliness meant to speak to higher spiritual truths". Awards 2006 — Best Film at the Moscow Premiere festival. 2007 — Six awards at the fifth national Golden Eagle Awards -